


tout ce que je veux, c'est toi

by chaennie0107



Category: BLACKPINK (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fluff, Smut, Teacher-Student Relationship, chaennie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26531386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaennie0107/pseuds/chaennie0107
Summary: Jennie Kim is given the opportunity of a lifetime, but it turns out it might just be too good to be true. Will Park Chaeyoung stand in the way of her dream career?
Relationships: Jennie Kim/Park Chaeyoung | Rosé
Comments: 19
Kudos: 148





	1. ce n'est que le début

“I don’t know, Chu, it sounds almost too good to be true.” She twirled her pen, lightly tapping her foot against the leg of her desk.

“C’mon Jendeuk, this is amazing! This is literally the opportunity of a lifetime, too good to say no to.”

“Okay…but why us? What makes us so special?” her voice was hesitant, quite the contrast to Jisoo’s overexcited one.

“Jennie Kim, you’ve got to be kidding me, this is our dream and you’re hesitating?! Where’s the Jennie I know and love?”

“Chu, babe, I’m kidding.” She giggled, finally stopping her little act. “Of course I’m saying yes, this is insane!”

“Ahhhhh, we’re gonna be coworkers! They want you to come down sometime next week to go over our contracts and responsibilities. They also want us to decide on a research project, the sooner we can start applying for grants, the better.”

“Good thing we already have lots of ideas then. But seriously, Chu, how is this happening? We’re way too young to be associate professors.”

“Well, it’s a small-ish university, they had a few open positions, they were really impressed with our last few research papers, and we got a good recommendation from professor Choi. I know it’s not exactly Harvard, or Cambridge, or even SNU, but it’s a good opportunity for us, and we’d never get this chance anywhere else.”

“I can’t believe this, I’ll get to be an associate professor _and_ work with my best friend, what’s the catch?”

“Well, it’s not exactly a big city, and it’s not a top university, but I don’t even care, I’m just so excited.”

“Jendeuk and Chichu, taking over the world, one university at a time!”

“Booyah! I gotta go, but I’ll see you down here next week, love you.”

“Love you too, Chu!” Jennie hung up, loudly squealing as she tried wrapping her mind around what had just happened. She’d worked so hard for this, spending her whole life with her head buried in a book, going straight from high school to her undergrad to her postgrad to her PhD, having worked in academia since she finished her doctorate. Luckily for her, she’d met her best friend, Jisoo, during her undergrad, and they’d stayed together since. And now, holy Jesus, now she and Jisoo were moving to a whole new town together, becoming associate professors together at the age of 30, co-teaching a class covering a topic they both loved, getting paid to do research that she’d gladly have done for free!

Dreams really do come true.

***

She pushed open the polished wooden door, her eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light which stood in stark contrast to the blaring sun outside. The bar was nicer than most bars she was used to going to during her undergrad days; it was spacious and quite modern, despite clearly wanting to seem old fashioned. The bar itself consisted of a long wooden bar top accompanied with comfortable looking stools, rows upon rows of liquor lining the wall behind the bartender. There was a pool table, and a Ping-Pong table, a soft smell of leather and alcohol, and instrumental music being played in the background, the soft sound of chitter chatter barely being heard.

“Could I get a G&T, please?” she jumped up on a stool, smiling politely at the bartender who nodded at her, before her eyes scanned around the bar.

It was July, still a while before school started, and the college town was half dead, but the bar was still fairly crowded. Must be a popular spot, and Jennie figured she’d know soon enough if it was the place to be, or a spot for her to avoid as she’d rather not see her students wasted. She had a feeling it would be more of the latter, but she’d make sure to enjoy it before the students returned.

“Hey Chaeng” The bartender nodded in acknowledgement towards a tall brunette who had just entered the bar, Jennie noting how she must be a regular for him to know who she was. “Sup Eun? Regular, please.” “Coming right up.” Jennie watched as the brunette (Jennie thought her hazelnut colored hair was gorgeous) walked towards a back corner before disappearing behind a column, forcing Jennie to turn back towards the bar top, her drink now in front of her.

The drink was good, she mused as she stirred it slowly, impaling a plump raspberry with the stirring stick, popping it into her mouth as she enjoyed the slight bitterness of the gin coated sweet berry. Maybe even delicious. It would be a shame if she had to stop coming here; the drinks were good, and relatively cheap, the bar was large, but the tables weren’t too close, and the floors weren’t sticky with unmentionable amounts of spilled beer. Better than any student bars she used to go to, that’s for sure. She’d have to bring Jisoo there once she got back from her vacation.

Normally, she’d have gone with her, but with the moving and starting a new job Jennie had decided to skip it this year, instead choosing to get settled in her new apartment and exploring her new town. If she got bored, she could always take a trip to Jeju or Japan or something. Jisoo had always been the more spontaneous of them anyways. While Jennie thrived for routines, needing time to properly settle in and feel at home somewhere, Jisoo could move in the night before classes started and she’d still be fine. While Jennie moved to their new town over a month before work started in order to explore, decide what coffee shops she liked the most, which restaurant had the best tteokbokki or dumplings, and what her neighborhood was like, Jisoo had agreed to arrive two weeks before classes started so they could finalize their teaching plan. Jennie knew the older girl was doing it for her; Jisoo never panicked. She didn’t need extra time on anything. You could give her any topic and she could make up an hour-long lecture on the spot, and god if Jennie didn’t admire her for it. Jisoo was brilliant, smart, and funny, and Jennie was lucky to call her her best friend and colleague.

Lucky for her, Jisoo felt the same way.

She was, quite literally, new to town, having arrived the night before. Being ever-so-efficient, she’d already started unpacking, deciding to head to the bar to give herself a break and a chance to begin her exploring. Despite being a small university, it had a good reputation with dedicated students, and the town was quaint; surrounded by a lake and a forest, little shops along tree-lined streets, snow covered mountains visible in the distance. Jennie could already imagine how dreamy it would look come fall, the whole town turning various shades of orange and red, or even at winter, snow covering rooftops as smoke came out of chimneys.

Jennie was so busy daydreaming about the upcoming months, that she didn’t even notice she’d finished off two drinks until the sudden need to go to the bathroom presented itself. Grabbing her purse, she jumped off the barstool and headed towards the bathrooms towards the back, freshening up a bit by the mirrors before exiting, only to be met with the sight of a slightly older man flirting with the girl she’d seen earlier.

The girl looked uncomfortable, stepping back every time the man approached her, her eyes scanning the room as she tried to find a way out of the situation. Acting quickly, Jennie plastered a smile on her face as she walked towards them, draping an arm around the brunette’s slim waist as she stood on her tippy toes to press a chaste kiss against her cheek. “Sorry for keeping you waiting, babe.”

Thankfully, the girl reacted quickly, smiling warmly down at Jennie, hugging the shorter girl closely, “You’re worth the wait, you know that.” The older man stared at them for a second before snorting as he rolled his eyes. “As if you’re actually her girlfriend, it’s obvious neither one of you are gay. I bet you don’t even know her name.”

“Aww, is the old man angry?” Jennie pouted slightly, looking at him innocently as she racked her brain for the name she’d heard the bartender use earlier. “Should we take that as a compliment, babe? That we don’t ‘look gay’.” The brunette shrugged with a small smirk, “you know what they say; straight in the streets, gay in the sheets.” “And why should I believe that, you clearly don’t know her name.” “Did you hear that, _Chaeng_ , apparently I don’t know my own girlfriend’s name.” “Well, neither did he. Hey Eun, what’s my name?” She called out loud enough for the lone employee to hear her as he cleared some tables. “Eh, Chaeng?” “Would you look at that… in a shocking turn of events, it turns out we weren’t lying after all. Go along now.” With her available hand, she shooed him away, the man growling as he left the bar, Jennie letting go of Chaeng’s waist as soon as he was out of sight, Chaeng letting out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you so much, you really saved me.” “It was nothing,” Jennie smiled brightly, showing off her gummy smile, “girl code and all that.” “Let me buy you a drink as a thank you?” “I was actually heading out now, but just do me a favor and pay it forwards if you ever see anyone else in need for help, that’s all I ask.” She wanted so badly to repay the kind stranger, or at least know her name, but Jennie left before Chaeng even got another word out. She followed her with her eyes for a second, before casually shrugging and turning to return to her friends.


	2. je te connais par cœur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennie's getting settled in to her new home, but keeps running into a mysterious stranger

The sun filtered through leafy trees, marking the path with its shadows, Jennie grinning as she jogged through the forest. She felt the sun heat up her skin, and despite wearing her headphones, she could still hear birds chirping in the background. She’d only lived there for a week and a half, but so far moving here was the best decision of her life.

Her apartment was charming; she’d opted for a two-bedroom apartment so she could use the other room for a home office. Her living room had large windows with wide windowsills, and she’d already spent more than one night tucked up with a book and a G&T, once winter would come, she was planning on hanging up fairy lights and sit in the window with a book and some hot chocolate.

And it could only get better once Jisoo comes, right? They’d cook together, go for walks, grade papers together, and of course their favorite activity of all; research for their academic papers!

Finishing off her 5K run, she grabbed a shower and headed towards the supermarket, running through her weekly menu in her head so she wouldn’t end up buying way too much stuff she didn’t actually need. She might (very soon) be an associate professor, but she still didn’t feel entirely like a proper grown up just yet, especially when it came to spontaneous supermarket purchases.

She was checking out some vegetables, when she felt a presence next to her, casting a quick glance only to find a familiar face smiling back at her. “Hi!” The hazelnut haired girl was beaming at her while leaning over the handlebar of her shopping cart. “Good to see you again.”

“Oh, hi. Chaeng was it?” the brunette nodded, smile still plastered onto her face as she nodded along. “I’ve been meaning to ask; how did you even know my name?” “Uhm, I heard the bartender say hi to you when you came, and I guess it just got stuck to the back of my mind. I’m Jennie, by the way.” “Well, Jennie, I really do appreciate you helping me out back then, he really didn’t wanna let it go and he was starting to make me uncomfortable.” “I’m happy to help. Girl code and all that, I just don’t get why men seem completely uncapable of taking a hint.”

Chaeng shrugged as she grimaced. “I’ll never understand that either. Anyways, I won’t keep you any longer. Maybe I’ll see you around.” Her smile turned her eyes into little crescents and Jennie found it to be contagious. “It was nice seeing you again, under better circumstances. Have a good day.” Chaeng gave her a cute little wave, before steering the cart around the corner and out of sight, though definitely not out of mind. Jennie found herself wondering how old Chaeng was as she absentmindedly placed some kimchi into her cart.

Definitely over 20. But probably under 25. God, it was so hard to guess these days. She felt like fifteen-year-olds looked like twenty-year-olds some days, everyone looked so much more grown up than when she was that age. Either way, Chaeng was probably way too young for her, and that was assuming that 1. Chaeng was into girls in the first place, and 2. That if she was into girls, she’d actually be into Jennie. Two massive assumptions if you asked Jennie, so Chaeng’s age really was the least of her worries.

Typical her, crushing on someone she’d met once. Well, twice now. But the brunette had been on her mind since their encounter at the bar.

***

To say she was happy with the way her place turned out, would be an understatement. She felt so at home already, even after less than three weeks. Her neighbors were lovely, her home office/library was filled with books and everything she needed to focus on her work, her living room was a safe haven that made her relax and feel content, her kitchen was so much bigger than what she was used to, she’d even taken up making her own kimchi, and finally, her bedroom was painted in pale colors that lulled her to sleep at night. She’d invested in a new bed (ok, fine her parents had bought it for her), and it was expensive but so god damn worth it, she felt like she was sleeping on a cloud, she was actually dreading going back to work just because she wasn’t sure how she could get up in the morning.

It was evening now, and Jennie was cuddled up in the corner of her couch with a light blanket over her legs – more for the comfort of it, seeing as it was warm outside. Her balcony doors were open, colorful fairy lights glimmering against the dark sky. The TV was on, a show she wasn’t too invested in rolling across the screen as her eyes flicked between that screen and the smaller screen on her phone, looking at videos Jisoo had sent her from a party she’d gone to at a night club.

Jennie was a homebody. She loved the comfort of her own home, getting to dress down and just unwind, but Jisoo was always encouraging her to go out more, live a little, saying she was only young once and she should do these things while she can. And sure, sometimes she’d join her, but more often than not she’d give her best friend a lame excuse and cuddle up with a blanket, a cold or hot beverage, and a good book or TV show. She couldn’t help it if that’s what made her content.

But looking at those videos, Jisoo’s words snuck their way into her brain. It was Friday evening, she was only 30, maybe she should be out partying, or at least grab a drink or two. Couldn’t hurt, right? Sure, she had some wine and milk ice cream in the freezer, but Jisoo would be really happy to hear that Jennie had made an effort even without her, and actually gone out. Maybe she’d even meet someone new who could become her friend. Soon enough classes would start up, autumn would come, and she’d be anything but motivated to go out drinking.

Before she could change her own mind, Jennie jumped off the couch, not even giving herself time to fold the blanket before she rushed into her room to change. Nothing fancy, just a simple top with a skirt, but it looked good on her, nonetheless. Closing the balcony doors, she checked her purse to make sure she had everything she needed before heading out the door.

The walk to the bar she’d been to when she first arrived in town was a short one. The streets were filled with people out on dates, enjoying each other’s presence, going to the movies or a restaurant, meeting up with friends or family. It was nowhere near as busy as the city she came from, but it was nice to see people out and about. Perhaps tonight would make her keen on doing this more often, only time would tell really.

A warm breeze brushed her hair away from her face as she rounded the corner on the main street, seeing the bar a few hundred meters in front of her. She hadn’t been back since the incident with Chaeng, simply because she’d been so focused on making her house a home, wanting to unpack everything, and being so tired by the end of the day that she’d much rather collapse on the couch than go out, but not tonight. Tonight, she was taking a step into becoming the more adventurous, outgoing, and spontaneous Jennie Kim that Jisoo wanted her to be.

Thankfully, Jennie knew that Jisoo loved her no matter what.

Opening the door, she was met with more people than last time, but it was still far from crowded. She took a seat on a bar stool at the far end of the bar, giving her a semblance of privacy. There were three people working behind the counter tonight, but she didn’t recognize any of them. Not that she knew anyone in this town anyways. After a couple of minutes, she was able to order a beer, deciding she didn’t wanna go too hard while she was out on her own. She’d have just enough to make her feel all fuzzy inside, then she’d go home and get another good night’s sleep. If she woke up early enough, maybe she’d go for another run.

Pulling out her phone, she opened her messages and quickly texted her best friend. ‘Guess where I am?’

It didn’t take Jisoo long to answer. It rarely did between the two of them, unless they were asleep. Even when they should be asleep, Jennie found Jisoo texting her at all hours of the day, more often than not staying up to play her video games – another aspect of Jisoo that was foreign to Jennie. To be honest, she was almost surprised how well they got along. They had seemingly nothing in common, with the exception of their love for academia, but at the same time they had _everything_ in common. Jisoo just understood her at a level no one else had. She never felt like she had to hide part of who she was around Jisoo, the older girl simply accepted her for who she was. Jisoo had her own quirks that Jennie loved, and the fact that Jisoo was so unabashed about them made Jennie more confident in herself as well.

Kim Jisoo was silly, quirky, at times childish, and very much her own person, but she was also smarter than anyone Jennie had ever met, caring, funny, and supportive. She’d often wondered what it would be like if they’d dated, but they both knew the two of them would never work out as a couple. Best friends were one thing, but as a couple their differences would become too noticeable, too alienating. So while Jennie Kim loved Kim Jisoo with all of her heart, their love was destined to only be that of two friends.

‘Where? In bed? Jen, c’mon, it’s only like 9pm there – unless someone is in bed with you, then I fully support you ;)’

Rolling her eyes, Jennie took a photo of her beer and sent it, along with ‘go back to whatever girl-toy you’re with, Chu. I’ll have you know I actually left my apartment today.’

‘I’m so proud of you!! Good job xx now you gotta go out with me when I get back too :D love uuu byeee’

Jennie knew Jisoo wouldn’t answer any more of her texts unless she gave her juicy details about something exciting, she always did this whenever she said something she knew Jennie wouldn’t agree with, as if that would magically change Jennie’s mind. But fine, Jennie would indulge Jisoo just once, and if their night out went well (and wasn’t spoiled by drunk undergrads), maybe they could repeat it.

_Maybe_.

She wasn’t really a beer drinker, but whatever was in her hand right now tasted pretty decent. Not good enough to revolutionize her world, but it was a good thirst quencher on a warm day like today, and she made a mental note to pick some up at the supermarket to enjoy on her balcony. Maybe she’d even invite Chaeng to come over… No, Jen, bad idea, don’t even go there. She was once again so caught up in her own world, that she didn’t notice someone sitting down next to her, indicating for the bartender to come over. “I’ll have what she’s having.” The girl behind the counter nodded and started pouring the beer, Jennie still not noticing what was going on right next to her.

“You know, you’d be the prime target if someone came in here looking for someone to rob.” Chaeng sipped her beer, she was already one fourth through it before speaking up, waiting to see if Jennie would snap out of her stupor. She only decided to speak up when it became clear Jennie was deep into it.

“Huh?” It took Jen a second to snap back and focus on the brunette next to her. “Ohh, hi! Sorry, I didn’t notice you there.” “You don’t say?” Chaeng laughed, enjoying this side of Jennie, “penny for your thoughts?” Jennie’s eyes widened slightly, realizing that she’d just been thinking about the girl that was currently seated right next to her. “Beer! I was thinking about beer?” “Ahh, you’re a beer gal then?” “No!” Jennie’s cheeks turned bright red and Chaeng thought it was adorable, “I mean, not really. But this beer is really good. Sorry I guess I must’ve fallen down a rabbit hole.” She let out a soft giggle as she let her head fall forwards, her hair falling like a curtain in front of her face. “It’s okay, it happens to the best of us. Do you come here often?”

Giving herself some liquid courage, Jennie tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled up at Chaeng. “This is only my second time, actually.” “We’ll have to make sure it’s better than the last visit, then.” Chaeng leaned over the bar slightly, getting the bartender’s attention, “Hyunnie, give us two of this week’s special, please.” “I take it you come here pretty often?”

“What gave me away?” A grin was plastered on her face. She looked so happy and carefree. “But yeah, you could say that. I’m not an alcoholic or anything,” she laughed, ironically taking a big swing of her beer before continuing, “but the atmosphere is good here and with the exception of that creep most people here are pretty cool.”

“Is it like a student bar or something?” “Not really,” Chaeng shrugged, “I mean, of course you get a good amount of students here cause the drinks are good and fairly cheap, but I’d say there’s a good mix.” “That’s good, I’m kinda over wasted 18-year-olds.” Chaeng gasped, clutching her heart in shock, “Damn, that hurt.”

Jennie’s eyes widened, oh no! Was Chaeng only 18? A lot younger than she’d expected. A lot younger than she’d hoped. Fuck, how could she get out of this… “Uhm, I’m so sorry, no offense. We’ve all been 18 once…”

“I’m playing with you…” her eyebrows quirked up playfully, a small smile ruining her previously shocked expression. “I’m over drunk freshmen too.” Jennie felt her heart slowly return to normal after it had dropped to the pits of her stomach earlier, “You’re so mean! I genuinely thought I’d offended you.” “Nah, don’t worry, I’m harder to offend than that.”

“So how old are you then? I bet you’re like 19, thinking you’re so much older and more mature than those ‘kids’,” Jennie smirked while Chaeng let out a hearty chuckle. “Damn, you caught me. In all seriousness though, I’m 24.”

Phew, Jennie thought, not _too_ bad then. At least she wouldn’t be a cradle robber. Rolling her eyes, she mentally slapped herself. She was once again falling into the assumption that Chaeng was both queer and into her, and that was a dangerous assumption for her heart to make. “You’re essentially middle aged!”

Chaeng, who had just taken a sip of her beer, snorted loudly, covering her mouth as beer threatened to escape. “Gee, thanks. How old are you then?”

“Tender age of 30, I’ll have you know.” “And you called me middle aged!” “The difference is that I’ve never tried to hide the fact that I’m a grandma.” “Eh, at least you’re the hottest grandma I’ve ever met.” “I’m honored, thank you.”

“You’re really fun, I’m glad the creep introduced us.” “At least he did something good.” “Crazy to think people still refuse to believe that people can be gay solely based on their looks, what the fuck is that all about?” “Ugh, don’t even get me started on that. Such an old-fashioned frame of mind, as if our own looks decide who we’re attracted to.” “Mhm, I’ll never understand people like that. I really appreciate you doing that though, I know I’ve said it before, but I also mean the whole pretending to be gay thing.”

“Who said I was pretending?” Jennie never hid her sexuality, but she also very rarely volunteered the information to people she didn’t really know. “Wait, you’re gay too? This is brilliant, here I was thinking we were pretending together and turns out neither of us were!” “You’re gay?” “I identify as bi, how about you?” “Same, though I’m more woman leaning.”

“Well, it’s nice to have a fellow ally. There are quite a few queers here, obviously, but we can never have too many, now can we?” She clinked her glass against Jennie’s in a small cheer. “My best friend Jisoo’s pansexual, but other than that I don’t really have a lot of gay friends.” “You have me now.” Jennie’s smile was shy, Chaeng was so open compared to her and she found herself genuinely wanting to be her friend. “I appreciate that.” “It’s the least I could do, you did save me after all.”

“Are you ever gonna let that go?” “And let you forget that you **saved** me?! Never.” “What would it take for you to at least minimize how often you’ll bring it up?” “Hmm,” Chaeng tapped her chin in pretend thought, “let me buy you a drink or two and I’ll consider it.”

“Fine, but nothing too strong, I wasn’t planning on getting wasted tonight.” “As a grandma, you should never plan on getting wasted.” Her face was very serious, bordering concerned, the two of them just staring at each other for a minute before Chaeng cracked, eyes turning into moon crescents as she laughed wholeheartedly. “I’ll ask Hyun to make yours weak.”

Jennie’s drinks were weaker than Chaeng’s, but Chaeng could also handle her alcohol a lot better than Jennie could. After one beer and three drinks (all paid for by Chaeng), Jennie felt the fuzziness turn into a buzz as she got bolder. Her hand had been lingering on Chaeng’s knee for a little while, placing it there after a very engaging conversation, and it was now sliding slowly upwards towards her skirt as she stared intently at Chaeng’s lips while the younger girl talked.

“You’re really hot.” The alcohol was taking away her inhibitions. Usually, Jennie would never be so straight forward, especially when she wasn’t sure of the other person’s feelings, but she wanted Chaeng so badly she just couldn’t stop herself.

“Oh!” The brunette stopped mid-sentence, staring at Jennie for a moment, eyes blinking rapidly before she burst into a grin. “You’re really hot too.”

“Do you think I’m quote-unquote I wanna fuck her hot, or just quote-unquote her body’s nice hot?” Yup, her inhibitions were safely planted on a plane heading the hell out of here faster than the speed of light.

“Definitely the former.” Chaeng licked her lips, eyes boring into Jennie’s. “And you?”

It was Jennie’s turn to blink rapidly. “Mhm. Uh-huh. Former for me too.” “Let’s do something about that, then.” It took Jennie a few seconds to grasp what Chaeng was suggesting, but once she did, she felt desire pool in her as her pupils widened. Chaeng grasped her hand, sliding off the bar stool and gently tugging on Jennie’s arm for her to follow. They moved swiftly through the room towards the bathroom, Chaeng locking the door behind them once they entered, turning to lift Jennie onto the sink.

“You are so fucking hot.” Her hands quickly slid underneath Jennie’s top, her lips attaching themselves to Jennie’s neck, tracing butterfly kisses from her jawline to her ear, and down to her collarbone.

Jennie was panting, clawing at Chaeng’s top trying to grasp it enough to pull it off while Chaeng skillfully slid her shirt off, throwing it further down the sink, out of the way, her fingers quickly working to remove Jennie’s bra next. “Just so we’re clear, you’re consenting to what we’re about to do, right?” Chaeng had pulled back slightly, looking at Jennie through hooded eyes with her hands cupping Jennie’s bra-clad breasts, giving her some level of decency before consenting.

“Mhm, yes, I very much consent to this.” She was nodding rapidly, pulling her own bra straps down her arms in an attempt to remove anything that stood in the way of Chaeng touching her.

“Good,” Chaeng grinned, letting the item of clothing fall to the ground as her hand once again cupped Jennie’s boobs, “because I very much consent too.” Jennie’s eyes closed as soon as Chaeng’s lips were back on her neck, an involuntary moan escaping her lips. Jennie knew she was an attractive woman, so her lack of an active sex life was by no means due to a lack of self-esteem. It had more to do with the fact that she was perfectly fine on her own, and the thought of putting herself out there long enough to make people interested in her wasn’t very appealing to her, she had far better things to spend her time on. Sure, sex was good and intimacy with another person wasn’t bad either, but was it good enough to give up her time for? Maybe not. At least, she hadn’t found anyone like that yet.

But Chaeng was different.

It might be the alcohol talking, but she genuinely wanted Chaeng to kiss her and touch her the way she was right now; one hand busy pinching her nipple in just the right way, the other snaking down her body before moving up her skirt, all the while her lips were moving across Jennie’s skin in a way that sent shivers down her spine and left her wanting more. Her touches were featherlight where Jennie needed them to be, and rough where she wanted them to be, it was as if Chaeng knew her body by heart, even though they’d never done this before.

Her eyes were closed when she felt Chaeng wrap an arm around her waist, lifting her slightly as her other hand pulled her skirt up to pool around her stomach, giving Chaeng better access to her.

Her eyes were still closed when Chaeng’s lips crashed into hers in a delicious kiss that was slow and sensual, filled with gentle bites and tongues moving languidly against each other. Jennie’s fingers were firmly attached to the hair at the nape of Chaeng’s neck, lacing through soft locks, tugging her closer until the younger girl couldn’t possibly get any closer to her.

Chaeng, on the other hand, had one hand cupping Jennie’s cheek as they kissed, the other pulling her panties to the side to stroke long fingers through her slit, groaning at the wetness she was met with.

Jennie had never done this before. She’d never had sex with anyone in the bathroom of a bar, to be honest, she’d never really had sex anywhere that wasn’t in a bed with the lights off. The closest she’d ever gotten was that one time her short-term partner suggested they do it at the school library on a particularly quiet evening, and she was tempted to say yes, but the thought of getting caught got to her.

But Chaeng, _god_ , what Chaeng was doing to her made her throw all of her worries and fears aside. Her head was thrown back, making her chest arch into Chaeng’s touch, fingers gripping the edge of the countertop tightly, trying to steady herself as moan after moan escaped her lips.

Chaeng’s lips were covering a nipple, gently sucking as her tongue circled it. One hand was playing with the other nipple, while the other was smoothly pumping in and out of Jennie, driving her closer and closer to the edge, the sounds coming out of Jennie’s mouth spurring her on. She could tell by Jennie’s movements and sounds that she was getting close. Her legs were closing around Chaeng’s waist, pulling her closer as they shook slightly from the pleasure she was receiving. With her lips still firmly attached to a nipple, Chaeng looked up, wanting to watch Jennie’s face as she came undone. Stroking against her front walls, she felt them tighten around her digits as Jennie let out a breathless whimper, her legs shaking harder. It was beautiful, and Chaeng wanted to watch this girl come undone beneath her countless times.

Slowing her strokes, she eventually pulled out, Jennie watching through hooded eyes as Chaeng sucked her fingers clean, moaning at the taste. A small giggle escaped her as her body finally relaxed, head resting on Chaeng’s shoulder. She still couldn’t believe what she’d just done. Jisoo would have a field day once she found out.

“So, your place or mine?” She looked up, her eyes meeting Chaeng’s equally lust-filled ones.

“I have flatmates.”

“Mine it is, then.”


	3. je vois en toi plus qu'une amie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennie experiences the aftermath of her bathroom hookup

Her heart was still beating rapidly, her breathing labored, one hand resting on her stomach, the other on the bed next to her, and her brown hair tangled with hazelnut brown hair across her pillows. A small smile and a breathless laugh escaped her lips as she turned her head slightly to look at the equally affected body lying next to her, Chaeng’s eyes almost disappearing as she smiled back.

“That was…” another laugh came out as she struggled to find the right words. They’d brought their bathroom rendezvous back to Jennie’s, continuing their ministrations in her bed, Jennie losing count of how many orgasms she’d given and received. Her naked body was covered with a thin layer of sweat, and while she’d usually be self-conscious about lying there so wantonly, she found comfort in Chaeng being in an similar state right next to her, and the fact that the younger girl had repeatedly told her how much she admired her body during their session.

“The feeling’s mutual.” Chaeng’s voice was cheery as she moved slightly, placing a soft peck on Jennie’s lips, before collapsing back onto the bed, her head on Jennie’s shoulder.

“What is Chaeng short for, anyways?” Jennie suddenly realized that she didn’t actually know the girl’s real name. Not that it mattered, but she found it a bit funny seeing as this was so out of character for her.

“Chaeyoung. I answer to lots of names though, so you’re free to choose whatever you want.”

“Oh, so you’re implying we’re seeing each other again?” her voice was teasing, clearly telling Chaeng that she wasn’t planning on kicking her out before the end of the night. “Of course, miss Kim, it’s not my fault the universe seems to push us together.”

“How did _you_ know _my_ name?” Chaeng pulled Jennie’s covers over them, snuggling further into the older woman. “You have a sign with your name next to your front door, Jennie. Now shush, it’s sleepy time.”

*******

Pulling on some panties and an oversized shirt, Jennie cast a quick glance at the sleeping beauty still in her bed and headed to the kitchen, softly closing the bedroom door behind her. She was hungry, and figured Chaeng probably would be when she woke up as well, so she might as well go about making them something.

Her phone pinged with a text message, and she was unsurprised to see that it was from Jisoo, the girl probably wondering what happened after the one beer the night before.

_‘I know you’re awake, Kim. Meet any cuties at the bar last night?’_

Jennie decided to call her rather than text back and forth, lodging her phone between her shoulder and her ear.

_“Tell me everything.”_

“Hello to you too, Chu.” Opting for some omelets for breakfast, she pulled out a carton of eggs, some milk, cheese, bacon, and mushrooms. “I did, actually.”

_“Wait, you met someone at the bar?!”_ She sounded surprised, having never heard of Jennie bringing home a stranger from a bar before. She always wanted Jennie to ‘live more’, but she’d never actually push her into anything, knowing that Jennie was far more comfortable at home.

“I did. She’s still in my bed, actually.”

_“Well come on woman, tell me everything!”_

“I met her a few weeks ago at the bar, helping her out when an old creep flirted with her. Then we ran into each other at the supermarket, and last night at the bar. She bought me some drinks to thank me, I drunkenly told her she was hot, she told me I was hot, then we had sex in the bathroom at the bar.” She said it so casually, not even giving Jisoo time to respond before continuing on. “I suggested we take it back to my place, which we did, then went to sleep, I woke up, and now here we are.”

_“Woah, slow down there tiger! You, Jennie Ruby Jane Kim, had sex in a bathroom?! With a stranger?!”_

“I mean, I knew her name, sort of.”

_“Sort of?!”_

“I knew her nickname, then later on I knew her name.”

_“I don’t… my little girl is all grown up. When’s the wedding?”_

“Ha-ha, so funny. I know this is unlike me, but I really like her. She’s funny, kind, and ugh I can’t believe I’m about to tell you this, but she’s amazing in bed.”

_“And her looks?”_

“Looks aren’t everything, Chu, but she’s definitely a 10.”

_“I’m such a proud best friend, I can almost feel a tear coming. What do you think’s gonna happen next?”_

“To be honest, I have no idea. She’s a bit younger than us as well, so I don’t really know what she wants. I’ll have to have a talk with Chaeng I suppose and see if she considers this a one-night stand or if she’s interested in maybe making it something more. I’d be fine with either.”

_“Just don’t forget to think about yourself sometimes as well, okay? I get wanting to check in with her, but make sure it’s what you want as well.”_

“I will, thanks Chu. Our breakfast is almost ready, and I think Chaeng’s up, so I need to go.”

_“Call me anytime if you need to talk. And don’t forget to have fun if this turns into more than a one-time thing! Love you.”_

“Thanks, babe. I love you too, bye.”

Chaeng was sneaking up on Jennie, ready to envelope her in a back hug, when she heard the end of the phone call, unconsciously taking a step back as she tried to think rationally.

“Oh!” Jennie was startled as she turned around to find Chaeng standing just a meter from her, wearing seemingly nothing but one of Jennie’s oversized tees. “I didn’t hear you, good morning! Breakfast is just ready, are you hungry?” She was smiling from ear to ear, not really sure what procedure was for all of this but still moving to give the younger girl a hug.

“Uhm, sure, yeah, breakfast sounds good.” She was still trying to process what she’d just heard and how she could bring that up with the girl currently wrapped up in her arms.

“Have a seat, do you want some coffee?” Jennie pulled out a bar stool at her kitchen island for her, turning back to turn off the stove and pour herself a cup.

“Yes, please.” Jennie could tell that something was up, she hadn’t known Chaeng for very long, but this seemed far from her usual behavior. “Hey, are you okay? Did something happen?” Her brows were furrowed with worry as she gingerly placed a hand on Chaeng’s fidgety ones. “I-”, Chaeng sighed, forcing herself to meet Jennie’s worried glance. “Be honest with me, please?”

“Of course, what’s going on?”

“I just- I didn’t mean to snoop or overhear anything I shouldn’t have, but I did and…did you use me to cheat?” the last part took Jennie by surprise, her mouth forming into a small ‘o’ as she processed what she’d just been asked. “No, of course not. Why would you think that?”

“You called them babe and said you loved them? Seems quite couple-y if you ask me?”

“Ooooh, right, I’m so sorry. That was my best friend, Jisoo, and we are definitely not a couple, I swear.” Jennie tried reassuring her, still seeing a hint of doubt in Chaeng’s chocolate brown eyes.

“Promise? I don’t wanna be a homewrecker.”

“I promise, she’s nothing but a best friend. I’d never cheat.” She watched as relief washed over her guest, a small smile replacing the previous frown. “Good, me neither. I’m sorry for freaking out, I just…I’ve been cheated on before and I don’t wanna be responsible for putting anyone in that situation.”

Jennie cupped her cheek gently, leaning in to give her a quick peck. “I’m sorry that happened to you, you don’t deserve that. Now let’s get you some breakfast and coffee.” She lingered for a second longer, their eyes locking as Jennie felt a tingling feeling crawl down her spine.

They were halfway through their meal when Jennie mustered up the courage to ask what she’d been dying to know. “I wasn’t gonna do this, but since you were open with me, I wanna be open with you.”

“What’s up?” Chaeng was quickly finishing off her plate and Jennie wasn’t sure if she was genuinely starving or she just loved food that much. “Uhm, okay so I’ve never done this before. And by this, I mean both what I’m about to ask you, and _this_ …” she gestured between the two of them, not meeting Chaeng’s gaze. “I’ve had like one other one-night stand, but it was at their place and I left right after. It was with a guy and honestly the experience wasn’t great, and it put me off casual sex. I know, I know, I’m 30, I should’ve been living my best life, partying and sleeping around, but it just wasn’t _me_.

“Anyways, the meaning behind all of this mumbo jumbo is me trying to ask you what this was?” she bit her lip, eyes nervously eyeing Chae for a moment before looking back down at her half-empty plate.

She heard giggling as Chae reached over and gently held her hand, squeezing it lightly to encourage her to look up. “You’re cute, you know that? It’s absolutely fine that you don’t have a ton of casual sex experience, who cares? I don’t want you to think that you haven’t been ‘living your best life’ just because you haven’t slept around. The only person who gets to decide if you’ve done that is you, as long as you’re happy with the decisions you’ve made, then guess what? You’ve lived your best life.” She gave Jennie an encouraging smile, finding the older woman endearing as she continued nervously biting her lip. “Not gonna lie, I’ve sort of thought you were cute since you first helped me out at the bar. And even more since we ran into each other at the store, and then again more at the bar last night. I have, uhm, sorta slept around a bit I guess? And usually it’s been just a casual once or twice thing and I haven’t really cared or thought about it after, but as cliché as it sounds, I would like to do this again with you.”

It was Chaeng’s turn to look away as she scratched the nape of her neck. “That sounded slightly wrong, I didn’t just mean, y’know, the sex. I would like to get to know you better. If that’s something you want as well, of course. If you only want this to be a one-time thing, I’m totally cool with that as well.”

“I don’t know much about one-night stands,” she laughed, “but based on what I’ve seen and learned from Jisoo, this whole ‘hanging around and having chats over breakfast’ isn’t really considered a usual part of the experience. Like I said, I don’t do this a lot, and the fact that I’m doing it with you means that I’m open to doing it again.”

“Good, good.” Chaeng tried to seem casual, calm and collected, despite breaking into an internal grin. “Jennie Kim, would you like to go on a date with me? We can get to know each other better.”

“I’d love to. Hope you don’t mind that I’m essentially an old grandma.” Chaeng laughed as she checked her phone, groaning slightly before standing up and giving Jennie a quick peck. “Didn’t you know I have an unnie kink?” her wink made Jennie blush as she looked away again, causing Chaeng to let out another soft laugh. “Unfortunately, I have to get going, my friend slash flat mate is waiting for me, I promised her I’d help her with her dancing today. Thank you so much for breakfast, it was delicious. I’m just gonna go get dressed. Can I borrow a t-shirt from you?”

“Uh-huh, sure, help yourself.” Jennie couldn’t stop herself from staring at Chaeng’s ass as she elegantly walked towards her bedroom. Hot damn, who would’ve thought that she’d actually tapped that? Definitely not her.

She was still deep in thought when Chaeng came back out, running a hand through her messy hair as one of Jennie’s t-shirts wrapped nicely around her body. Grabbing a pen and a piece of paper, something she’d have trouble finding at pretty much everyone else’s house, but Jennie had it lying around everywhere, she quickly wrote down her phone number, leaned in for another deep kiss, threw a wink Jennie’s way and slipped on her shoes. “Text me.”

Jennie was left stunned, mouth hanging open as she stared at the now-closed front door. “Damn…” If she hadn’t seen Jisoo’s video the night before and decided that maybe she should go out and have a drink or two as well, this wouldn’t have happened. She’d be half-way through yet another book, probably sipping some white wine on her balcony, and while that sounded nice and all, it was nothing compared to the night she’d ended up happening.

Holy shit, she’d been fucked in the bathroom of a bar.

A huge grin spread across her face as she wrapped her arms around herself, squealing into her arms with excitement. She felt like a teenager going through their first crush, and while she was far from a teenager and this was far from her first crush, Chaeng was also far from her previous partners. But once again, she was getting ahead of herself. Chaeng wasn’t a partner yet, they’d just had sex and they’d go on a date, that didn’t mean they were exclusive or anything. Maybe she’d quickly realize how boring Jennie was and ghost her? Who knew? But for now, Jennie was excited as hell, and she had to tell someone.

Picking up the note Chaeyoung left her, she attached it with a magnet to the fridge, terrified that she’d lose it and somehow never get to see the younger girl again. Eyes firmly locked on said note, she called Jisoo, her best friend picking up with a yawn. “This better be good, Jendeuk.”

“Chu, I’ve got a date.”


	4. avec toi, je suis moi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennie musters up the courage to text Chaeng first

_‘Hey Chaeng, it’s Jennie. Jennie Kim? I was wondering if you were available for a date this week? Possibly lunch on Wednesday, or dinner if that suits you better? You may reach me at this number. Looking forwards to hearing from you. Jennie’_

Delete.

_‘Chaeng, it’s me, Jen. Sup? :)) had a great time wth u this wknd, keen on that date? Hit me up’_

Delete.

_‘Hi, Chaeyoung? It’s me, Kim Jennie. Are you still on for that date? I’m pretty free this week.”_

Delete.

Delete, delete, delete.

UGH, how did people do this?! She let out a long groan as she threw her phone to the other side of the couch, throwing her head back in frustration. It had been three days since Chaeyoung had walked out her door with a smile on her lips, leaving behind nothing but her phone number, the lingering feeling of her lips against Jennie’s, and the sound of her orgasms bouncing off the walls.

Three days since the promise of a date.

Three days where Jennie had tried and tried again to come up with the perfect first text message, failing miserably each and every time. Sometimes she made herself sound like an old woman, other times it sounded like she was proposing a business meeting, and yet another try was too casual for her.

She’d never done this before, she’d barely been on a _date_ , her two previous relationships had gone straight from friendships to relationships without the awkward ‘are we or aren’t we’ phase in-between. And she’d always been the pursuee, never the pursuer, and now here she was, the only one of the two with a phone number meaning that if she wanted this to go any further, she had to make the first move. It was either that or wait around, hoping for Chaeyoung to pop into her life once again.

She most definitely wanted this to go much, much further. And with her luck, she’d never accidentally run into Chaeyoung ever again, so she _really_ needed to send a good text message.

Giving herself a few extra minutes to sulk, she grabbed her phone from the end of the couch again, furiously typing a familiar phone number on her phone.

“I need your help.”

_“Hello to you too, Jennie.”_

“Chu, this is an emergency, I don’t know what to do.”

_“About what exactly?”_

“Remember what I told you the other day? About Chaeng? She left me her phone number, but she doesn’t have mine, meaning I have to make the first date move, but I’ve never done this before, what do I say? What do I write? I have so many questions Chu, and only you can answer them.”

_“Jennie, sweetie, do I strike you as someone who makes the first move? Men and women come to me, I don’t go to them.”_

“Chu!! I _need_ you, please. You don’t know how badly I need this. How badly I want this. She’s gorgeous, funny, witty, clever, brilliant in bed, and most importantly; she wants to go out with me. This first message will set the tone for our entire relationship. Not only that, it’ll help her decide if a relationship is even worth having with me. Jisoo, _everything_ comes down to this one single text message and I’ve been trying for three days to come up with something. So please, for the love of god, help me.”

Jennie was having a nervous breakdown, and here she had her very best friend on the phone, laughing her heart out as if Jennie had just said the most hilarious thing in the world.

_“Oh, Jendeuk, you’re so unintentionally funny. Relax, how old did you say she was again?”_

“…24?”

_“She’s young, carefree, she probably doesn’t give a shit what you text, you could probably post a 15-letter abbreviation consisting of random letters, and she’d still somehow understand it because apparently that’s what millennials do.”_

“What? Are you talking about those long strings of nonsense that kids these days seem to love?”

_“Mhm. I’m serious babe, she’s into you, she won’t overanalyze your message the way you currently are, just hit her up and I’m sure it’ll be fine.”_

“Swear?”

_“Guarantee it. Just tone down yourself a tiny bit, make yourself seem less formal and more casual.”_

“I feel like you’re asking for a lot.”

_“Trust me. Now go text her right away, before she thinks you see her as nothing more than a one-night stand.”_

“Oh god, no, okay, bye thank you, love you!” She heard Jisoo let out a giggling ‘bye’ before hanging up.

Biting her lip, she fiddled her thumbs as she stared at her screen, trying to decide what to write.

“C’mon Jen, what would Chu do…? Here goes nothing.”

‘Hi Chaeng, it’s Jen. You still up for that date?’ Tapping send, she let out a nervous squeal and threw her phone back to the end of the couch, hiding her face in her arms. Her phone vibrated, indicating she had a new notification, making her peak between her fingers, as if the phone would suddenly scream the message at her like a Howler from Harry Potter.

_‘And here I was, wondering if I’d ever hear from you again ;) Ofc I’m down for a date, when and where?’_

Ahhhhh!! Was all that went through Jennie’s mind, trying to keep calm as she quickly typed a response. ‘I’m pretty open, so whenever works for you? And you seem to be way more familiar with this town than I am, so surprise me ;)’

_‘Hmm, I think I’ll be able to find something you’ll like, Miss Kim. I’ll pick you up on Wednesday, 7 pm.’_

*******

Her hair was in simple waves over her shoulder, her outfit smart, Jisoo would probably tell her it was a bit too formal, but she didn’t care. It made her feel like herself, and she thought that was important for her very first date with a complete stranger. If she wasn’t comfortable with her outfit, how could she feel comfortable with herself and have a good time at the date?

The short answer was that she couldn’t.

So here she was, in a pencil skirt, a smart top, and some classy black heels. She almost looked like she’d just gotten out of the office, but with a few too many buttons open, showing off her cleavage.

Pacing around the apartment, she checked her watch continuously, as if it would make the time go any faster. At 6:58pm, she pulled on a thin jacket in case the evening would get chilly, and bounced down the stairs, the classic Chanel purse her mother had given her once she completed her Ph.D. hanging over her shoulder. Jennie was never late for anything, she’d rather wait downstairs for Chaeng to come to her, rather than make Chaeng wait for her.

Which went against everything Jisoo had told her the night before.

But once again, Jennie didn’t care. Or, she cared, and she’d mulled it over, but in the end, she’d decided that she had to be true to herself. If she wanted to get Chaeyoung to fall for her, Jennie wanted her to fall for the _real_ Jennie, not the Jennie that adapted herself to fit in with others and wasn’t true to herself.

At precisely 7 on the dot, a small baby pink Kia pulled up in front of her, Chaeyoung’s hazelnut brown head popping out of the window. “Hi!”

Precise. Jennie liked that in a girl. “Hey,” She blushed when Chaeng jumped out of the car, rushing around to open the door for Jennie. Definitely not something Chaeng was used to doing, but for some reason if felt right doing it for Jennie. “Where are we going?”

“A friend of mine works at a local restaurant, they have amazing food and the atmosphere is great.”

“I’ve been meaning to try new things around here, I’ve mainly just cooked at home since I arrived.”

“Are you good at cooking?”

“I think so, yeah. My mom is a businesswoman but growing up she’d always take the time to cook with me a few times a week, carrying on the recipes her mom and grandma taught her.”

“That’s so cool! My sister and I cooked quite a bit with our mum as well, though I still haven’t gotten to the point where I cook properly for myself yet.”

“Ah, still living on a student diet, are you?”

“Very much so,” she laughed, pulling into a parking lot, “My flat mate and I were joking about writing a ’50 ways to make ramen’ cookbook.”

“Jisoo would probably be your first customer.” Jennie smiled as Chaeng once again rushed around the car to open the door for her. “And what about you?”

“Oh, I’d expect a copy before the official book launch.” Jennie smirked, feeling slightly cocky with herself as she hinted at a long-term relationship between the two, whether it was friendship or something more.

“If you’re lucky, I might even sign it for you.”

“With a special message?”

“Ooh, you’re asking for a lot, but you have a deal.” She stopped in front of a small restaurant, opening the door for her. “After you,” Jennie bowed slightly as a thank you, a shy smile spreading on her lips as she felt Chaeng’s hand at the small of her back.

“Chaeng, Jennie,” A young girl Jennie had never seen before smiled politely at them, her eyes twinkling as she looked between Chaeyoung and Jennie. “We’ve been expecting you, follow me.” She led them to the back of the relatively small restaurant, the table decked out with flowers, something Jennie noticed was missing on the other tables. Chaeng pulled out the chair for Jennie, the older woman mumbling out a small ‘thank you’ as she sat down, gently pushing her hair behind her ear.

“Your menu for tonight has been preselected by our very own Chaeng, in collaboration with our head chef. Would you like to start with some white wine?”

Chaeng was looking at her expectantly, a small, shy smile on her lips. “Sure, white wine sounds great.” The waitress nodded and left the two alone, beaming at Chaeng as soon as she was behind Jennie’s back, giving her two thumbs up while mouthing ‘she’s hot!’, Chaeng biting her lip to stop herself from laughing.

“So, you really planned all of this, huh?” Jennie tilted her head, trying to take it all in.

“Mhm, hopefully you’ll like it all. One of my best friends is the head chef, I chose all of my favorite dishes of hers.”

“I love food, I’m excited to see what sorta food you’re into.”

“Oh wow, no pressure.” She teased, taking a sip of her water, “enough about that. Tell me about yourself?”

“I can’t believe you got into my pants before you even knew anything about me.” Jennie shook her head, laughing incredulously. This was so incredibly unlike her.

“Tsk tsk,” Chae tutted as their dishes started arriving, “I believe I got into your skirt, not your pants Miss Kim. Besides, at least I knew your first name, which is more than I can say for some of my other hook ups.”

“To be fair, I only knew your nickname. And I still don’t know your last name.”

“Park, I know, very original.”

“Oh yes, the Parks. Are you of the New York Parks?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“London Parks?”

“Nope.”

“Seoul Parks?”

“Which Seoul Park?” They both burst out laughing, Jennie putting on a pretentious façade as she sipped her wine. “I’m of the Cheongdam Kims myself.”

“Ah yes, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that, I got the feeling.”

“Good to know my ancestry is showing off, even in bed.”

“Oh, it was especially prevalent in bed. Now, I’ve never been with a Cheongdam Kim before, but you truly were something else—Here, try this!” She picked up some meat, cupping one hand underneath as she fed it to Jennie. “Good, huh?”

“Oh wow,” Jennie chewed slowly, eyes wide as she took in the nuances of the meat with the spices. “This is the best thing I’ve ever had,”

“I was hoping you’d like it. It’s a secret recipe, she’s been working on it for years, I have to have it at least once a week or I might combust.”

“Ballsy of you to introduce me to this on the first date, I might just go steal your best friend.”

“And here I was, hoping you’d eat this with me on the couch in front of the TV on Friday nights. Instead you plan to run off with my best friend, what is this, ‘My Best Friend’s Girl?’”

“I have been seeking some more drama in my life.”

“Nuh-uh, I’m not letting Hyeri steal you. Besides, she’s straight.”

“What a shame… how can anyone who cooks this well be straight?”

Chaeng fake scowled at her, pretending to feed her some more meat before eating it herself. “So, we’ve established you’re interested in my best friend just by tasting her meat, which sounds way dirtier than it is, but I still know nothing about you. For instance, why did you move here?”

“I moved here from the city because I got a job at the university. My best friend, Jisoo, did as well, so we’re starting together in late August. What do you do?”

“That sounds cool, the uni is really nice, I think you’ll like it there. I work with graphic design at a local company, and then I help my friend Lisa with her dance studio whenever she needs it.”

“You’re a dancer, huh?”

“Sort of, not as good as Lisa, but I enjoy doing it. Do you dance?”

“Gosh, no. I have two left feet, so you won’t see me on a dance floor anytime soon.”

“We’ll just see about that,” Chaeng smirked, feeding Jennie the last bit of their dessert as Jennie suddenly realized how late it was. “We should probably head home, huh?”

“That’s probably a good idea, c’mon, I’ll drive you.”

Jennie finished her wine and grabbed her jacket, following Chaeng out of the restaurant and back to her baby pink car. “Pink, huh?”

“Ah, yeah,” she laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck, “When I bought it, it seemed like a good idea.”

“Who says it isn’t?” Jennie smirked, getting into the car, leaving Chaeng slightly flabbergasted outside.

Chaeng decided to drive her the long way home, choosing to show her the sights of the town in order to drag out the date. “That shop on the corner is owned by Mrs. Choi, she has the freshest veggies in town, 10/10, do recommend. She can seem a bit mean, but if she likes you, she’ll give you free things as well. The park over there is nice and quiet, not too full of families with little kids running around, while the one across town is more family friendly. The other one also has a pond with birds and stuff though, which can be nice, but don’t let the swans bite you. Word of advice stay away from there if you’re drunk. That hill in the distance is a bit of a hike, but the view from the top is stunning and well worth it. The building all the way down there is the best building in town, cause that’s where I live!” she grinned cheekily, turning the car around to head towards Jennie’s place. And this right here, is the second best place in town, because this is where you live.”

Jennie leaned her back against the car door, smiling brightly at her date who tapped her fingers nervously against the steering wheel. “Thank you for tonight, I had a really good evening.”

“I did too, I hope you don’t mind that I pre-ordered for us?”

“Not at all, I would’ve ended up asking for your recommendations anyways, and the dishes you chose were delicious. To quote yourself, 10/10, do recommend.”

Chaeng laughed, her eyes turning into moon crescents. “Very happy to hear that…” silence dragged out between them as they continued looking at each other, until a person walking by broke Jennie out of her daze. “I’d invite you up,” she licked her lips, Chaeng’s eyes following the movement closely, “but I don’t want you to think I’m the kind of girl who puts out on the first date.”

“Oh, I’d never dare to think that, Miss Kim.” Chaeng had no idea why she’d started calling her Miss Kim, if it was a joke about her being older or something else, but it’d stuck. “Thank you again for tonight,” she breathed out as Jennie leaned closer, placing a lingering kiss on her cheek, her breath tickling Chaeng’s ear as she pulled back slowly. “Drive home safely, Miss Park.”

Chaeng was frozen in her seat as Jennie elegantly stepped out of the car, fighting with herself to not drag Chaeng up to her apartment and rip her clothes off.

“Hey Jen?” She was a couple of steps away from the car when Chaeng called for her through the open car window. “Yeah?”

“Come here?” It was a question asked with a raised eyebrow, pulling Jennie in as she slowly walked towards her date, yelping slightly when Chaeng grabbed hold of her shirt, pulling her in for a scorching kiss that left Jennie breathless.

“I’ll text you.” With a satisfied grin, Chaeng pulled away from the curb, driving off as Jennie watched, her fingers moving up to lightly touch her lips.

She should’ve invited her up.


	5. voulez vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennie keeps screwing up, thankfully she has Jisoo to help her see the light,

_“It’s three in the morning.”_

“And you don’t sound groggy…”

_“Lucky for you, I was still up… what’s up, Jendeuk?”_

“I can’t stop thinking about her.”

_“…her? Ohhhh **her** , okay, I see, my little Jendeuk’s in loveeeeee.”_

“I am not in love.”

_“Mhm, okay. Anygays, tell me more, tell me more.”_ Jisoo’s voice melodiously flew through the phone and into Jennie’s ear.

“She’s just…” Jennie let out a sigh, trying to wrap her head around how she was feeling, despite the late hour. “Ethereal.”

_“Such big words. How many dates have you been on now?”_

“Two.”

_“And how many times have you slept with her?”_

“Once…well sorta once, only that time at the bar and when she came home with me.”

_“Oh, I bet she came…”_ Jisoo snickered as she could practically hear Jennie rolling her eyes over the phone. _“You dirty girl. Tho I guess you need to be dirtier, since you’ve been on two dates that haven’t ended in sex?! I’ve heard about the first date but tell me about the second.”_

“Well, it happened the other day – since she planned the first date, I did this one…”

\--

_Jennie was sitting outside Chaeng’s apartment building, eyes closed behind her sunglasses as she enjoyed the sun on her face._

_She heard the sound of a door closing, opening her eyes to spot Chaeng running down the five steps from her front door. “Hey, you look great!” Jennie was in a flowery dress, looking like the definition of summer. “So do you! C’mon, I got a surprise for you.”_

_“What are we doing today?”_

_“Well, I remember you said you enjoy bike rides, so I rented some bikes for us.”_

_“Oh my god, really? I can’t believe you remembered! I love bike rides.”_

_“I will admit, I’m not great with bikes, I was more of an indoor girl as a child, but I will try anything for you.”_

_“…anything?” Chaeyoung smirked slightly, just enough to make Jennie blush, before she bounced over to the two bikes parked next to the bench. “Where are we going?”_

_“You mentioned the pond in the park the other day, so I packed us a picnic basket and added some bird food so we can feed the birds.”_

_“That sounds so cute and romantic, summer dates are the best. Just make sure you don’t get the swans to attack you, I don’t want our date to end at the hospital.”_

_“Oh god, now it’s all I can imagine. C’mon, let’s go. Here, I brought you a helmet. Safety first.”_

_“Very smart. As an added bonus, we can use it to protect ourselves against vicious birds with freakishly long necks.”_

_“Two for one, this really is turning out to be quite the date, and it’s barely even started.”_

_\--_

“The bike ride almost ended in catastrophe when I got wobbly and almost ended up crashing into a tree, but Chaeng was very helpful and came to my rescue like a knight in shining armor.”

_“And you were her damsel in distress?”_

“As I always am. Anyways, it was really nice, we fed the birds, laughed as a swan chased a grown man who then screamed like a little girl, ate the food I’d made – and yes, she loved my hotteok.”

_“So all I’m hearing is you had a great time and still somehow didn’t have sex?”_

“I mean…yes?”

_“what went wrong?!”_

“Well, uhm… We rode our bikes back to her place, she was super cute and excited, as if I hadn’t already fallen for her enough, and everything was going well.”

\--

_“I had a great time today, thank you.”_

_“I did too, despite my almost-accident.”_

_“Eh, I call it date entertainment. I’m glad you’re okay though.”_

_“It sure was a close one, but not as close as swan vs man.”_

_Chaeyoung laughed, eyes closing as she pictured the man running around the park. “That was so funny! I wonder what would’ve happened if the swan had caught him?”_

_“Oh, full on horror movie, for sure. He would’ve been pecked to death. Blood everywhere.” Jennie deadpanned, making Chaeyoung laugh even harder._

_“Full on. Would we have rescued him?”_

_“And risk being pecked to death ourselves?! Never!”_

_Chaeyoung’s stomach was starting to hurt from laughing so much, hand moving up to tuck some hair behind her ear as she looked at Jennie with pure joy. “I have work in the morning, but you can come up if you want? My flat mates are home, but they won’t mind.”_

_“Oh, I’d love to, but I have to get these bikes back to the rental place. Maybe next time?”_

_Chaeyoung was a bit disappointed, she really liked Jennie and wasn’t ready for the night to end yet. Was Jennie not as into her as she thought?_

_“Yeah, of course. You’re welcome any time.”_

_“I know I’ve already said it, but I really did have a great time, thank you so much for today.” Taking a step closer, Jennie’s hand moved to Chaeng’s waist as Chaeng’s moved to her jaw, eyes closing as their lips met._

\--

_“Wow… I honestly don’t know what to say other than wow. I mean, I knew you were a dork, but a hot girl literally invited you up to her apartment and you said no because you had to return bikes?!”_

“I know,” Jennie groaned, “I really regret it.”

_“Have you heard from her since?”_

“Yeah, we’ve texted a bit. She’s been busy at work.”

_“Have you showed her how much you actually like her?”_

“I think so…”

_“If you’d rejected me like that, I would’ve started doubting if you’re really into me. Maybe you should invite her over one day soon?”_

“Oh, that’s a good idea. We can do a date here, that way there’s not ‘coming home’ with each other afterwards since we’re already here.”

_“Exactly…”_

“I’ll do that, but that doesn’t really help me right now. It’s past midnight and I don’t know if she’s awake.”

_“And you can’t stop thinking about her?”_ Jennie made an affirmative sound as she twirled some hair around her finger. _“Are you in bed?”_

“Mhm.”

_“Put your right hand on your stomach,”_ Jisoo heard shuffling as Jennie moved the phone to her left hand, _“Now slowly slide your hand down until it reaches where you wish she was.”_

“Jisoo!” Jennie’s hand suddenly froze as she shot up in bed, eyes wide and cheeks pink.

_“What? You clearly need to flick the bean while thinking of her, it’ll help you sleep. Then tomorrow, you text her and invite her over for some Netflix and chill – I heard there’s a brilliant new documentary on there, and then you get her back into your bed.”_

“I- Jisoo!”

_“Stop being a prude, you’ve had bathroom sex, you’re way past that point. Just do it so we can both get some sleep.”_

“Why do I even put up with you?”

_“Because you love me and I’m a great friend. I’m gonna hang up now, I have a girl of my own waiting for me. Bye, love you, keep me posted.”_

She heard the call end and put her phone down, laying back against her pillows as her hand rested on her lower stomach. Maybe what Jisoo said wasn’t such a bad idea? A good orgasm always made her sleepy, and it was far better than lying awake all-night thinking about a certain hazelnut brunette…

Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and slid her sleep shirt up, one hand beginning to play with a nipple as the other slid down under her sleep shorts, surprising herself with the wetness she found.

Damn, even just thinking about Chaeyoung made her wet.

Never letting go of her bottom lip, she let out moan after moan as two of her fingers circled her swollen bundle of nerves, occasionally dipping into her core, making her fingers slick with her own juices. The hand on her breasts were frantically tugging and pinching as images of the younger girl flashed through her mind.

With a few spasmic strokes over her clit, and the vivid image of Chaeyoung between her legs, mouth covering her sex as she licked her into oblivion, Jennie fell apart, breathing heavily as she slowed down her strokes.

Her eyes shot open as she realized what she’d just done, suddenly feeling guilty about thinking about the other girl that way, but damn if it hadn’t been effective.

She felt her eyelids grow heavy, and within seconds she was fast asleep.

***

“I brought takeaway!” Chaeng smiled brightly as she entered Jennie’s apartment, greeting the older girl with a brief kiss on the cheek.

“Great, I have snacks and beer.”

“I’ll be honest,” she got comfy on Jennie’s couch, her leg touching Jennie’s as they sat next to each other, “After you turned me down the other day, I was starting to question if you liked me as much as I like you.”

“Oh,” Jennie blushed, busying herself so Chaeng couldn’t see her reaction, “That was honestly just me being really stupid and clueless. I didn’t even realize until later what you’d asked me, because that’s how big of a doofus that I am. As I said, I don’t have a lot of experience with this…”

“You are seriously so cute! I was really happy when you asked me to come over.”

“I really do like you too; sorry I wasn’t very obvious about it.”

“This is gonna sound super cheesy, but does this mean we’re exclusive?”

“God, this is gonna reveal just how inexperienced I am, but I’ve never really casually dated so I’ve never _not_ been exclusive. Do you want to be exclusive? I’d like that, but if you’re not ready for that I totally understand it…”

“Jennie?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanna be exclusive with you.” Jennie mumbled a quiet ‘thank god’, making Chaeng laugh as she leaned up to place a soft kiss on her lips. “Seriously, you are _so_ cute.”

“Eat your food, miss Park.”

“Yes, miss Kim.” Chaeyoung smirked slightly as she watched Jennie blush, shooting her a quick wink when Jennie looked at her.

\--

“This is so cheesy, there’s no way this would happen in real life.” Chaeng’s head was on Jennie’s lap, the latter’s hand intertwined with the former’s, resting on Chaeng’s stomach.

“C’mon, it was cute, admit it.”

“Never, there’s no way! Are you seriously telling me that if a guy did that to you, and then later on was all romantic, you’d still date him?”

“…okay, fine no, I wouldn’t. The romantic aspect was cute, but you’re right, it doesn’t cancel out what he did first.”

“Well, I’m glad we agree. Can’t risk us having completely different romantic ideas, now can we?”

“God forbid! You’ve done pretty well so far though, showing up with take-out was peak romance.”

“Hmm, and here I was thinking you’d mention bathroom sex as my top romantic moment.”

“Ah yes, of course, how could I forget. Every girl dreams of getting fucked by a stranger in a bar bathroom.”

“I know, they’ve made endless movies and books about it. So dreamy.”

“At least in our case it ended good, right?” Jennie was running her fingers through Chaeng’s hair as the younger girl looked up at her. “Most definitely.”

“There’s something about you… I can’t really put my finger on it, but you do something to me.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Very good. It started the first time we met, and the feeling has only grown stronger since.”

“You do something to me too. I know you’re older than me, but I’ve never been with anyone so mature and down to earth, it’s honestly really nice. I’m kinda over the casual, wild things I used to do. Over the drama that came with it.”

“Hey, I can be wild!”

“Prove it.”

She should’ve seen it coming, but she was not expecting being put on the spot like that. “Fine, leave your food here and _not_ in the fridge, and let’s go to bed.”

“Aww, are we gonna cuddle then sleep?” Chaeng was so clearly teasing her and damn it if it wasn’t working.

“Strip.” Jennie couldn’t help scowling as Chaeng started giggling, kissing Jennie’s hand that was still laced with hers.

“Seriously, so cute.”

“Stop it, I’m trying to be wild.” Jennie’s pout was adorable, making Chaeng fall even harder.

“C’mon baby, I’ll show you wild.” Sitting up, Chaeng put a hand on the back of Jennie’s neck, pulling her towards herself as their lips connected in a heated kiss. Jennie’s eyes fluttered closed, letting the younger girl take the lead.

Little whimpers escaped Jennie as Chaeyoung’s tongue dominated hers, the younger girl’s hand tugging semi-roughly on the hair at the nape of Jennie’s neck. Jennie wasn’t sure how it happened, but while Chaeyoung’s tongue was practically down her throat the girl also managed to shift them both, so Jennie was lying on the couch with Chaeyoung on top of her.

Chaeng moved her lips down to Jennie’s neck, nipping and sucking, keeping Jennie’s attention while her hand slipped down and worked on getting Jennie’s cotton shorts and underwear off.

Deciding it wasn’t really wild enough for her, Chaeyoung pulled away, sitting up so she could look down at Jennie with a smirk on her face, Jennie barely even registering that she was naked from the waist down, too busy focusing on the look Chaeyoung was giving her.

“You look so fucking hot right now.” Jennie had never experienced anyone looking at her with that much lust in their eyes before, and it was making her cheeks flush. “Not as wild as our bathroom encounter, but we have lots of time in the future to top that.”

“Chae?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Right now I don’t really care how wild it is, I just really need you to fuck me.” Jennie’s eyes were hooded, Chaeng letting out a low growl, moving down to attach her lips to Jennie’s again, getting her properly worked up. Once Jennie’s groans were sounding more and more desperate, she started kissing down her neck, moving until she was resting comfortably between Jennie’s legs.

Stroking Jennie’s thighs lightly, she let her tongue run through her slit, letting out a low moan herself at the taste. “God, I’ve missed this.” Jennie struggled keeping her hips still once Chaeyoung started teasing her, causing the younger brunette to wrap her arms around her thighs to keep her still, putting Jennie’s legs over her shoulders beforehand, one hand moving down to carefully stroke Jennie’s clit as her tongue entered her, making Jennie’s hips buck up even more.

“Fuck, Chae,” the more time Jennie spent with Chaeyoung, the more she was regretting not having had more of a romantic life, her former partners not exactly being racers in bed. So far in life, her sex life had been very vanilla. Not exotic, French vanilla, more vanilla essence, the least exciting version out there.

Don’t get her wrong, she _loves_ vanilla, but even with just a few encounters Chaeyoung has proven that when it comes to sex there are far better flavors.

Her right hand flew to Chae’s head, fingers tangling with hazelnut brown hair, pulling Chaeyoung impossibly closer to her core as her tongue stroked her into oblivion. “You taste so good, baby.”

“Don’t stop, please don’t stop,” Chaeyoung knew better than to change her up pattern once Jennie reached the point of no return, her mouth firmly covering Jennie’s clit as her tongue stroked a firm pattern across it, two fingers pumping inside Jennie, stroking her g-spot each time.

Jennie threw her head back, her grip on Chaeyoung’s hair tightening, her back arching off the couch, Chae’s remaining hand tightening it’s hold as she fought to keep Jennie’s hips from bucking up.

She felt Jennie’s walls tightening around her fingers, a string of moans and curses escaping Jennie before she came with Chaeng’s name falling from her lips in a broken scream, her legs that were over Chaeyoung’s shoulders shaking uncontrollably. “You’re doing great, baby.” She mumbled softly against Jennie’s thigh, nuzzling it as she pressed gentle kisses all over the inside of her thigh, the shaking yet to cease.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, Park Chaeyoung.” Her heart was still beating erratically, her breathing labored as her eyes locked with Chaeyoung’s now love-filled ones. “And I’ll enjoy every second of it, Kim Jennie.”

“C’mere,” Tugging Chaeng’s hair lightly, she coaxed the younger girl to crawl back up her body, their lips meeting in a languid kiss, Jennie tasting herself on Chaeyoung’s tongue. She’d never really enjoyed post-oral kissing before, but with Chaeyoung it was a massive turn-on. “I wanna take care of you.”

“Mhm?” Chaeng nuzzled into Jennie’s neck, the older girl wrapping her arms around her lover’s slim body.

“Mhm, get your cute butt to the bedroom.”

“So wild, so kinky.”

Jennie snorted, lightly hitting Chaeng’s shoulder, “shut up, I want to make you feel good, I’m not trying to put you into a latex suit with a gag-ball.”

“Well damn, what did I even come here for today?”

“Humph, no orgasms for you then.”

“Aww, baby don’t say that, I want you to make me feel good. Didn’t I just tell you earlier that I’m really enjoying this slow and steady thing? I’ve done wild. I’ve probably done wilder things than you can even imagine, and I’m not saying we can’t do that, but slow and steady wins the race, y’know? I really like you, Jen, and I don’t want us to burn out and get tired of each other, constantly battling over who can do the craziest thing.”

“But we can be a little crazy sometimes, right?”

“Absolutely, I’d expect nothing else from a massive geek such as yourself. A geek on the streets, a beast in the sheets.”

“That was awful, but I will accept it only because I’m into you. Now move, move, move, I wanna get this party off to the bed.”

“Such a smooth-talker.” Leaving one final open-mouthed kiss on Jennie’s neck, before shuffling off her, grabbing Jennie’s hand to drag her towards the bedroom.

“Strip!” Jennie tried to make herself sound authoritative and sexy, but apparently failed miserably as Chaeyoung started laughing once again. “Staahhhp, I’m trying to be sexy here.”

Chaeyong wrapped her arms around Jennie, pulling her into an embrace, “I know, I’m so sorry for laughing. You’re just reminding me of that singer that always goes ‘dance!’. Say it again and I promise not to laugh, pwetty pwease?” She blinked her doe eyes at Jennie who was playfully crossing her arms and scowling.

“Fine…” Taking a deep breath and trying to sound as demanding and sexy as she could, she repeated the phrase for a third time. “Strip.”

“Yes ma’am.” Biting her lip, Chaeng looked at her with hooded eyes as she slowly removed her clothes, turning the whole thing into a strip tease. “May I?” Jennie hadn’t even realized that she was only naked from the waist down, nodding slightly, allowing Chaeng to remove her tee and bra until they were equally naked. She noted how Chaeng’s lust filled eyes were back, trying to decide how she wanted to take the girl.

“I want you to ride my face.” If Chaeng thought she was aroused before, it was nothing compared to now. There was something about looking down and locking eyes with the girl who was getting you off as you were grinding against her face. Sounded lewd, but damn if she didn’t like it. Adding on the fact that she was not at all expecting Jennie to say that just now, and she was suddenly drenched.

“Get comfortable.” Jennie got on her bed, putting a pillow underneath her head to boost her up, indicating for Chaeng to join her. Getting into position, Chaeng looked down at her half worriedly. “Are you comfy? All good?”

Nodding affirmatively, she wrapped her arms around Chaeng’s legs, guiding her down towards her mouth. Chaeng was already bracing herself against Jennie’s headboard, looking down to find Jennie staring intently at her sex, shuddering slightly as Jennie’s tongue finally made contact.

“Ohhh,” her head tilted forwards as her grip tightened against the headboard, Jennie’s mouth feeling amazing on her. “Harder, Jen.” Jennie had a determined look on her face, looking up as Chaeng talked to her, and Chaeng couldn’t get over how adorable Jennie looked, her cat-like eyes big as they took in what she’d just said.

Once she got into a nice rhythm, and the girl above her was grinding against her mouth, Jennie’s right hand let go of its grip around Chaeng’s leg and shifted it up to grope her, alternating between the left and right breast, pinching her nipples.

Her jaw was getting tired, but there was no way she was stopping now, not when Chaeng was looking so god damn sexy above her, not when she had to prove that even vanilla sex could be just as amazing as whatever wild sex the brunette had had before.

Chaeng’s increasingly loud moans spurred her on, her tongue penetrating the tall brunette, her fingers frantically rubbing her clit at a steady pace. Chaeng’s taste was intoxicating, and Jennie couldn’t wait to taste her come, once again finding that Chae made her enjoy things she’d never been a fan of before.

Chaeng’s legs were tightening around her head, forcing her to move back slightly to free her nose so she could breathe. Pulling back completely but making sure her fingers were still continuing their ministrations; she took a deep breath then hurriedly spoke “I want you to come on my tongue.”

Jennie’s words made Chaeng’s eyes roll towards the back of her head, one hand letting go of the headboard in order to grip onto Jennie’s hair, her hips now gyrating on Jennie’s tongue. Her movements were getting more frantic, her moans undoubtedly loud enough for Jennie’s neighbors to hear.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, _Jennie!_ ” With a shudder she came hard, her head reeling as she struggled to come down from her earthshattering orgasm.

“C’mon baby, c’mere.” Taking Chaeng’s hand, she gently led the younger girl down to lie besides her, Chaeyoung still slightly out of it. “You did so good, baby.” She took Chaeyoung into her arms, stroking her hair slightly.

“I- damn. That was intense.” She nuzzled into Jennie’s embrace, letting out a content sigh.

“Did you like it? Was it good?” she was guessing yes, but she was still slightly insecure about her skills in bed.

Chaeng giggled, squeezing Jennie closer to her, lacing their legs together. “Babe, it was amazing, my legs are still tingly.”

“So I’m still worth going on another date with?”

“Most definitely, and I vote for more stay-in dates as well, I like cuddling on the couch.”

“Ah, a woman after my own heart. Do I even have to ask if you wanna sleep over, or is that a given?”

“I brought some clothes for work tomorrow, so yes, it is a given.”

Jennie giggled, shifting slightly to get more comfortable. “Night, Chaengie.”

“Night JenJen, thanks for today.”


	6. je t’attendais

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things are heating up between Jennie and Chaeng.

“Don’t gooooo,” she was wrapping herself around her girlfriend, trying to anchor her to the bed. They’d decided they would be exclusive a while back, and not long after they’d also gone completely cheesy and agreed to call each other girlfriends - leaving Jennie to squeal in her car the whole way home from Chaeyoung’s the next morning, and Chaeyoung to get a sly smirk from her flat mates. 

“I have to, baby, I have work.” Her protest was weak, arms wrapped tightly around Jennie as she wanted nothing more than to stay in bed all day. She didn’t even care how innocent or dirty they were, she just wanted to stay wrapped up in Jennie’s embrace, feeling the older woman’s lips place soft pecks across her smooth skin. But alas, work was waiting, and she did need the money. 

“Call in sick.” Jennie’s pout was enough to make an army of men concede, and Chaeng had to bury her face in Jennie’s neck in order to avoid the pout of death. “I’ll see you again tonight.” 

“And what am I supposed to do in the meanwhile?” 

“Didn’t you tell me that you had lots of stuff to prepare for when work starts?”

“But I wanted to Chaengcrastinate.” The whining in her voice brought a smile to Chaeng’s face; the fact that her 30-year-old girlfriend was such a whiny baby would never not make her giggle. 

“Chaengcrastinate?”

“…yes. Procrastinate with my Chaengie.” Her legs tangled with Chaeng’s, poking her side when Chaeng laughed. 

“You’re ridiculous, and hilarious, and I’m gonna miss you while I’m at work.” 

“But you’ll come here after work, right?”

“I believe my favorite mandu promised me to make me mandus today, I’m definitely not gonna miss out on that.”

“That’s cannibalism.”

“What if I eat your mandus first, then eat you…?” 

“That’s it,” Jennie growled, rolling on top of Chaeng, pinning her to the bed, “You’re not going anywhere today.” Jennie’s eyes were growing darker by the second, and it was safe to say that if Chaeng had had a dick, her blood would be quickly migrating south. 

Chaeng was two seconds away from giving in and letting Jennie ravish her, when her phone rang, tearing through the tension in the room. Eyes still locked firmly with Jennie’s, her arms stretched out and patted the nightstand until she found the culprit, moving it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Chaengie!” her coworker’s overly enthusiastic voice rang through the phone, sounding way too bright for the early hour. “Hi.” The girl on the other end of the call seemed to completely miss the tone of Chaeng’s voice. “I’m on my way to the office, want me to pick up some coffee for you?”

Damn, now she really did need to go into the office. “Sure, yes please.”

“Cappuccino as usual?” 

Chaeyoung was distracted as Jennie’s fingers stroked her sides, inching towards her bare breasts, “uh-huh, sounds good. I’ll be there soon.” She hung up, finding Jennie glaring down at her. “Who was that?” Her hands stilled towards the top of her ribs. “Just a coworker. We often get each other coffee.” Uhh, wrong answer? Jennie didn’t seem too pleased. “You have an office wife?” 

Chaeyoung laughed, grabbing Jennie’s hands, intertwining their fingers. “I definitely don’t have an office wife. We just get each other coffee and have lunch together – with other people – sometimes, that’s all. I have zero interest in her. Trust me, I only have eyes for you.”

“You better…” 

“Now I really need to go be productive, princess, but I’ll come straight over after work.” Sitting up, she placed pecks all around Jennie’s face, trying to kiss her frown away. 

“You’re lucky I like you so much.”

“I know, now scootch, this sugar mama’s got a job to do.”

Dramatically tipping herself off Chaeyoung, she landed with a soft thud on her mattress. “You calling yourself a sugar mama is hilarious, you’re practically a baby.”

Picking up her bra from the floor, she glanced at Jennie over her shoulder, sending her a quick smirk. “But I’m your baby.” Crawling across the bed, Jennie wrapped her arms around Chaeng from the back, nipping her neck with her teeth, “mine, no sharing.” 

“Aww, so you’re ruling out a threesome?” she somehow made it sound so innocent as she was standing in the middle of Jennie’s bedroom floor, wearing nothing but a lacy black bra, slowly pulling a matching thong up her long legs. 

“Yes, absolutely, 100%. I will definitely not be sharing you.”

“Mmm,” smirking, she wrapped her arms around Jennie’s neck, looking down at the older woman who placed her hands firmly on Chaeyoung’s ass. “I like it when you’re possessive, Miss Kim.” Leaning down, she captured Jennie’s lips with her own, letting the kiss grow heated, pulling back just as a moan escaped Jennie. 

“You’re such a tease!” Jennie was not at all pleased; she’d been woken up early so Chae could go to work, her girlfriend had turned down her advances, and now she was being teased, knowing she wouldn’t be taken care of?! What sort of hell was this? What was the point of having a sexy as fuck girlfriend if she would just leave you high and not-so-dry!

“I know, but I really have to go and I need to make sure to keep you around, if I give in to you every time you’ll grow bored.”

“As if I could ever grow tired of your sexy ass.” Rolling her eyes, she moved back under her blanket, suddenly self-conscious about her own nakedness as Chae pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt. “Have a good day at work, I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, I’ll see you later. Have a good day.” Moving in for a quick peck, she couldn’t help but make it more than one before she finally forced herself to pull away, giggling slightly. “God, we’re so whipped.” 

  
*******

  
“Are you coming back soon?”

“Why, do you miss me that much?”

“No. I’m bored.”

“What happened to lover girl?” Jisoo’s tone was teasing, though she was obviously happy for her best friend, but that didn’t mean she had to make it so damn obvious.

“She’s working full time, so at most I get to see her for lunch and after work.” Jisoo could clearly hear the pout in Jennie’s voice, and judging by the early hour where Jennie was, she was guessing the girl was up early because Chaeyoung had slept over, and that Jennie was still lazing about in bed. 

“Oh no, poor Jendeuk, her girlfriend has a life outside of her. How many nights did you spend together last week?”

“…7.” It was mumbled quietly.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

Jisoo heard a sigh and the ruffling of sheets as Jennie shifted in bed, “Seven Jisoo, seven!” 

“Jendeuk in love is so cute, we love to see it.” 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, we haven’t gotten to the love stage just yet.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“ANYWAYS,” Jennie said, overdramatically, “when are you getting back?”

“End of next week. We have a meeting with the faculty on the Monday, so I’ll be in town late Saturday or Sunday.” 

“I can’t believe you’re arrive right before our job starts, I’ve been here almost two month and I’m still stressed about it.”

“Because you’ve been spending the entire two months with Chaeyoung.”

“Not true, only about one month, three weeks and four days.” 

“Ah, fools in love. We love to see it. Seriously though, we’ll do great. You love what we do, we both know you could talk for hours at a time without even planning anything.”

“But what if I get a brain fart and forget everything?”

“I never thought I’d hear you say brain fart,” Jisoo was laughing, much to Jennie’s dismay, “You won’t brain fart silly, because we’re never doing class unprepared. Besides, they would’ve never hired us if they didn’t believe in our abilities to properly teach these kids.”

“Thanks for always being the rational one of us, I’m glad I’m doing this with you.” 

“Aww, Deukie, I’m glad I’m doing this with you too, I need someone who’s a bit more serious or it would definitely go bad a lot more often than it does.”

“Soulmates?”

“Friendship soulmates, I doubt Chaeng wants to share you.”

“True, I sorta told her this morning that I wasn’t keen on sharing her, so I doubt she’ll want to share me.”

“You two sound so gross and adorable, I love-hate it. When will I get to meet her?”

“When you get here, we can go for dinner.” 

“Can’t wait, I gotta get going, but I’ll see you soon. Have a good meeting at work today.”

  
*******

  
“You’re so whipped.” Chaeng scowled slightly at her friend who was sitting across from her, a huge grin on her face as she wiggled her eyebrows.

“Am not.”

“Sure, Jan – did I use that right? I’ve seen it on the internet, but I’m not sure if I used it right.”

Stabbing a piece of meat, Chaeng rolled her eyes as she nodded. Lisa had the attention span of a goldfish, which could be a good and a bad thing. “Yeah, yeah you used it right.”

“Oh, yay!” Lisa clapped excitedly as she wiggled in her chair, “so, sure, Jan! You are so totally whipped. Don’t think I haven’t seen you with her when she sleeps over.”

“I mean…can you blame me? Have you seen her?”

“She’s like a sexy geek.” 

“Back off, Lis, she’s my sexy geek.” 

“Hey, I follow the friendship rule, okay. I’d never hit on your exes. What does she do, anyways?”

“Ahh, I don’t really know, actually.” She grimaced slightly, trying to think back if Jennie had ever mentioned it. 

“Wait, you’ve spent almost two months with her, and you don’t know what she does for a living? Don’t you spend any time talking at all?”

“Well, of course we do! We spend lots of time talking, an-”

“Sure you do,” the eyebrow wiggle was back, as was the smirk. 

“We do! I know she works at the university, but because it’s summer she hasn’t started her job yet. She only just moved here from the city the day we first met at the bar. We talk a lot, just not really about work. What’s the point of having a sexy girlfriend if you’re gonna talk about something boring like work?” 

“You have a hot geeky girlfriend, maybe her work is something that can be used as a kink.”

“Stop talking about my girlfriend like that, you know I don’t share.” 

“I know, you stabbed me with a fork once when I tried to take a fry.” 

“I asked you if you wanted fries and you said no! Don’t come here expecting me to share my food, you’re not my girlfriend, you don’t get girlfriend privileges.” 

“I’m one of your best friends and your flat mate, I’ve known you for way longer than she has, and I still don’t get any privileges? Wow, just wow.”

“You get the privilege of being in my life, which is an honor enough in itself.” 

“Does she know about your past?”

“What exactly are you referring to?”

“C’mon Chaeng, you know I’m referring to your playgirl status.” 

“Uhh,” brushing some hair behind her ear, she shuffled her food around her plate, “not straight up, but I haven’t exactly hidden it. I have brought up my ‘wild past’, and she knows I’m not exactly a virgin, buuut…”

“Buuut you haven’t told her you’ve slept with the majority of the girls at the university?”

“That’s a bit pretentious of you, it’s not that many.” She was starting to worry she’d get permanent wrinkles having spent so much time scowling at Lisa today. 

“Hey hey, I’m not judging you at all! No slut shaming going on here, you know I’m nothing if not sex positive. I’m just wondering if you’ve told her.”

“We haven’t shared body counts if that’s what you’re asking. I’m a lot more experienced than her, without a doubt, but that’s fine. We have fun, she hasn’t seemed disgusted by anything I’ve mentioned, and come on, based on what I’ve already told her, she’s probably figured I’ve had wild college days.”

“What are you gonna do if you run into any of your exes?”

“Why would that even happen?” 

“This isn’t the big city, Chaeyoung, and she works at the university, you know it’s bound to happen.”

“I’ll consider that when it happens.”

“Call me before hand, I wanna be there.”

“Lis, Jennie’s an adult, she’s not gonna have a meltdown about this like a teenager.”

“But remember that chick you dated during our undergrad who legit had a meltdown when she found out you’d slept with that other girl in our class?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” She felt a shiver run down her spine at the memory, “she was legit psychotic. I woke up in the middle of the night once, and she was standing over me in the dark. She hadn’t slept over, and she didn’t have a key, so I have no idea how she got in. I had to turn her down easily because I was scared she’d try to kill me.”

“Is she still around?”

“Thank fucking god, no. She got kicked out for something else, last I heard she’d left the country.”

“You sure know how to pick ‘em, huh?”

“At least I got Jennie.”

“Again, you are SO whipped, and now I’m just waiting to figure out what her crazy side is.”

“Screw you, don’t jinx me.” For the nth time during their lunch, she scowled at her friend, throwing a piece of lettuce at her before they both burst into giggles.

“I’m joking. I like her, she’s good for you. She’s taming the beast.”

Popping a tomato in her mouth, she winked at Lisa, “Or maybe I’m turning her into one?”

  
*******

  
“Don’t gooooo,” she was wrapping herself around her girlfriend, trying to anchor her to the bed.

Much to Jennie’s dismay, Chaeyoung was laughing as she cuddled her. “Are we gonna do this every morning?”

“Yes, or at least until you learn that it’s better for the both of us if you just stay home?”

“How will I get money then?”

“You don’t need money when you have me, Chaeyoung.”

“What about food?”

“I’m literally a snack!” Chaeng laughed even harder; waking up in the morning was a lot easier when she got to wake up next to Jennie. “You are a snack, baby, but if I wanna take you on fancy dates and whatnot I’m still gonna have to make some money. And I don’t think I can tell the bank that you’re my student loan payment.”

“I don’t know if I should be offended or not.”

“Aww, come here.” She opened her arms again, grinning as Jennie nuzzled into her neck, pushing their bodies together as tightly as she could. “Why do you always make me feel so whiney?”

“Cause you’re so cute when you’re clingy, and it makes me happy that you actually want me around, even though we’ve spent so much time together lately.”

“Of course I want you around, you knucklehead.”

“I can really feel the love, thank you.”

“Are you coming over again today, do you want us to go to yours, or do you want some alone time today?”

“I’d like to see what’s behind door number 1.” Her voice changed as if she was in a game show, making Jennie giggle and act along. “Let’s see what’s behind door number 1… aaaaand it’s a naked girlfriend!”

“Woah, I’m so lucky! I know I can get that at my place too, but we get a lot more privacy here. I have a meeting today, so I’ll finish up around 5.”

“That’s fine, I have a meeting at 4, I won’t be home until later anyways. I’ll give you a key so you can just come over and make yourself comfortable while you wait for me.”

“Sounds good, I’ll get started on dinner.”

“Or we could both cancel our meetings and stay home all day?”

“You’re such a bad influence! And here I was thinking you’re a good girl.” 

“Oh honey, that’s just what I portray to lure dirty minded girls like you to fall for me. The innocence attracts people.”

“Damn, you’re sneaky. But unfortunately, I still have to go to work, I just need to grab a quick shower, and no you can’t join me because I’ll never get to work then.”

“You’re so evil, I can’t believe you’re banning me from my own shower.”

“How about this,” Chaeng was already out of bed, but leaned down, hovering over Jennie, their lips mere centimeters apart, “the Friday before you go back to work, I’ll take the day off so we can spend the day together.”

Biting her lip, Jennie fluttered her eyes, “in bed?”

“Anywhere you want, baby.” With a smirk, she leaned down giving Jennie a quick kiss. 

\--

It was 3 pm and Jennie was bored at home. She’d been out and about, she’d gone for a run, she’d done her grocery shopping, and she still had an hour and a half to kill before her meeting. She needed to shower, but she was feeling hot and bothered, thinking about Chaeyoung’s body after they’d gone for a run together during the weekend. She couldn’t get her mind off Chaeyoung’s body glistening in the sun as a light layer of sweat covered her, the shower they’d taken together afterwards that left them dirtier than they’d been to begin with. 

Closing her curtains, she lay down on her bed naked, eyes closed as she began feeling herself up, imagining that it was Chaeng who was doing it to her. Her fingers traced featherlight patterns across her skin, lightly teasing herself, getting herself more worked up than she already was. Her fingers were following patterns Chaeyoung’s fingers had first carved countless times in the two months they’d been together. 

“Chaeng,” her voice was a whisper, barely above a breath, her head tilted back as she wantonly explored her own body. It was something she’d never been comfortable doing before. She’d tried masturbating a few times, but only in the darkness, under the covers, feeling slightly ashamed of herself. It would never lead to satisfying orgasms, always leaving her disappointed and feeling dirty. But with the arrival of Park Chaeyoung in her life had made her appreciate her own body more, and the female figure more. 

“Make love to me.” With her eyes closed, Jennie pictured Chaeyoung hovering over her, the tips of her hair tickling her face and neck as she smiled lovingly with her eyes. In her fantasy, they were in her bedroom, but surrounded by flowers. The sun was shining down on them, a warm breeze caressing their bodies as Chaeyoung’s fingers moved down her stomach before coming into contact with slick heat. “You look so beautiful.” Her voice was tender, filled with love and care for the person beneath her. 

She let out a moan as two of her own fingers entered her, settling for a slow pace as she pumped them in and out, the pad of her thumb by her palm rubbing against her clit in the most delicious way.

Chaeyoung, on the other hand, had left work early and headed straight to Jennie’s, expecting her girlfriend to already be out of the house. She was humming to herself as she closed the door behind her, freezing slightly as she heard a sound from Jennie’s bedroom. She was about to call out that she had a weapon, thinking it was an intruder, when she suddenly recognized the sound of Jennie’s moans. 

“Jennie?” Her voice was low, too low for Jennie to hear her in her trance. Moving to the doorway, she was surprised to find Jennie completely naked on the bed, her legs spread as her right hand continuously moved inside of her, her left teasing a nipple. 

Realization hit her that she was essentially a voyeur. Sure, Jennie was her girlfriend, but the woman clearly had no idea she was being watched and while the sight turned her on immensely, she was also aware that she might be going outside of Jennie’s comfort zone. She was about to make her presence known, when Jennie caught her by surprise. “Chaeng…” It was clear as day. Jennie had definitely said her name, and for a second she was certain the woman had seen her, but her eyes were still closed, and her pace never faltered. 

It dawned on her that Jennie was touching herself thinking of her. “Fuck, Chaeng, baby” she was mewling, “don’t stop.”

She was fighting the dilemma of joining Jennie in bed, or continue watching, the sight turning her on more and more with each passing moan. And if she were to join her girlfriend, how would she do it without scaring the life out of her? 

By the look on Jennie’s face, the sounds she was making, and the slight tension in her arm, Chaeng could tell that Jennie was close. She looked so unrestrained; her body flush and arching, her cheeks pink, and her fingers slick with her own juices. 

Knowing she needed to join Jennie sooner or later, there was no way she could go back to casually sitting on the couch after having witnessed this, she began silently undressing herself, eyes locked on Jennie. 

“Chaengie, oh fuck, Chaengie!” her moves were desperate, clearly doing everything they could to draw out her orgasm, as Chaeyoung finally decided to make her presence known. Standing at the edge of the bed, Chaeyoung watched Jennie come with her name on her lips, her movements slowing down, her breathing coming out in gasps, her eyes still clenched shut. 

Placing a knee on the bed, she shifted her weight and began crawling up next to Jennie who genuinely thought the movement next to her was part of her fantasy. “Baby,” the voice was accompanied by a light stroke on the hand that was still inside her. Opening her eyes, she was shocked to find Chaeng next to her, a small yelp escaping her as her cheeks flushed realizing the compromising position she was in. “Chaeng!” 

“Hi, baby.” Chaeng’s eyes were hooded, her pupils blown with arousal.

“When did you get here?” She was clearly wondering just how much of that Chaeyoung had seen.

“A while ago.” Her hand gripped Jennie’s, preventing her from withdrawing her cum-covered fingers. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” Her voice was low and sultry, enough to make Jennie stop feeling self-conscious about being caught. “What were you thinking about, baby?”

“You.” Just that one single word made Chaeng close her eyes and groan. “I was picturing you making love to me, kissing me, making me come.” 

“May I?” She squeezed Jennie’s hand subtly, the older woman nodding as she bit her lips, her eyes staring into Chaeyoung’s soul. She guided Jennie’s hand out from within herself, but rather than moving the glossy fingers towards herself, she guided them towards Jennie’s plump lips. “Open.” Jennie obliged, eyes remaining locked with each other as Chaeng led Jennie’s fingers into her mouth, Jennie moaning slightly as she tasted herself on her own fingers. 

“You are so fucking sexy.” Jennie felt her body react to Chaeng’s words and actions, diligently cleaning her fingers, giving Chaeng a slight nod to indicate that she was done. Chaeng pulled her fingers out, replacing them with her lips as she kissed Jennie deeply, tasting her girlfriend. 

It wasn’t until Chaeng moved on top of her that Jennie realized that her girlfriend was naked. She moaned into her mouth, wrapping her arms around Chaeng, resting her hands on her ass. Deepening the kiss further, Chaeng moved to straddle one of Jennie’s thighs, lining it up so each movement would hit her clit as her own leg grinded into Jennie’s core.

One hand remaining on her ass, Jennie moved one hand up to tangle with Chaeng’s soft locks, pulling the girl closer as their kiss got more heated. Grinding against each other, Jennie’s leg became wet from Chae’s arousal, moans becoming louder as Chaeng sped up her movement, affecting both women. No longer able to hold back her moans, Chaeng detached their lips, pushing her face into Jennie’s neck. “I’m so close, baby.” Hearing this, Jennie lifted her leg slightly, changing the angle, leaving Chaeng to groan loudly and begin riding her thigh more vigorously. 

Lifting up slightly, Chaeng looked down at Jennie, hair tousled, and lips swollen, looking sexier than Chaeng had ever seen her. Lacing their fingers together, she made sure her own thigh was hitting Jennie’s clit, “Come with me.” It was Jennie’s turn to groan, gripping Chaeng’s hair tightly, crashing their lips together as their movements became faster, propelling them towards orgasms. 

Just as a wave of pleasure rushed through her, she felt Chaeng stiffen above her, their lips touching as they tried to catch their breaths. “Fuck.” 

“That was…wow.” 

After a moment, Chaeng rolled off Jennie, pulling the shorter woman into her arms. “You are amazing, did you know that?” 

“Maybe if you keep telling me that I’ll believe you.”

“I’ll tell you every day if I have to.” She kissed the top of Jennie’s head gently. “I’m sorry for not letting you know I was here earlier.”

“It’s okay, did you at least enjoy the show?” 

Letting out a soft laugh, Chaeng ran her hand over Jennie’s still slick thigh, “you have no idea.” 

“I wasn’t expecting you to come over yet, I thought you had a meeting?”

“It was cancelled, and my boss let me leave early. I didn’t think you’d be home, but I decided to come over anyways.”

Stroking Chaeng’s toned abs, Jennie smirked at her girlfriend, “I am so glad you did.”


	7. j'ai quelque chose à te dire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer is coming to an end, and Jennie is starting to realize some things about herself and her relationship

“Does Chae even live here anymore?” Suzy, their other flat mate, turned to Lisa with a questioning look, making the youngest snort as she stirred her scrambled eggs in the pan.

“As long as she still pays rent, I don’t really care. But yeah, she hasn’t exactly been present lately.”

“Have you met her properly? What’s her name again?”

“Jennie? Sort of, not really. Brief introduction when she slept over here once, but they stay at hers most nights, which is understandable since she lives alone.”

“They’re spending _a lot_ of time together tho, how do you feel about it?” Suzy was sitting on the kitchen counter, watching Lisa try to replicate Chae’s usual Sunday breakfast that had been pretty much missing since she met her girlfriend.

“I’m happy for her, I guess.” Shrugging, she plated up their food, handing one to the girl on the counter. “I’ve never really seen her like this before. At first I was sure it would just be a summer fling, and I guess it could still just be that but she seems really into her.”

“And you don’t think she’s too old for Chae?”

“C’mon Suzy, we both know Chae has a thing for older women. Besides, maybe it’s good for her. Jennie seems very mature, maybe that’s what’s needed to tame the beast.” Lisa had known Chaeyoung for much longer than Suzy had, the two having been friends since before their uni days. She loved Chae regardless, but she had to admit it would be nice to see her best friend settle down a bit more and step away from the casual hook ups and partying she was known for. To see her go from wild child to domestic bliss over the course of one summer, however, was far from what Lisa had expected and she hoped Chaeng wasn’t in over her head, falling too deep, too fast.

Suzy, on the other hand, looked contemplated while slowly chewing her food. “Not gonna lie… it’s been nice not having to listen to girls moan her name every other day.”

“Ha, where’s the lie? I gotta admit though, it’s making me curious as hell. I mean, she’s gotta be amazing in bed, every girl we’ve heard seem to be ascending to heaven.”

“Oh Lis, Chae’s never gonna sleep with you. You’re her best friend, that’s like the one line she wouldn’t cross. Sorry to burst your bubble.” Jumping down from the counter, Suzy started heading towards their living room, intending on finishing off her breakfast in front of the TV. “At least your cooking’s gotten better.”

“So even if Chae never returns we’ll still be okay?”

“…maybe. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

*******

“Kimchi?” Holding the fork up to Jennie’s mouth, Chaeyoung fed Jennie who was seated sideways on her lap. They were having breakfast in Jennie’s kitchen, Jennie having plopped herself straight onto Chaeng’s lap as soon as the younger woman had sat down, legs crossed, arms wrapped around her girlfriend’s neck, leaning in to steal little pecks any chance she got.

“You can make me breakfast any day; I’ll never grow tired of it.”

“Lucky for you, breakfast for my baby is on my daily to do list.”

“Kissies too?” Her bottom lip jutted out in a small pout, fluttering her eyelashes for optimal effect.

“Kissies too.” With a small smile, she leaned in to give the girl a few small kisses, happiness bubbling through her body at the thought of getting to kiss Jennie every morning for the foreseeable future. “Last week of freedom, how do you feel?”

“Surprisingly good, I love working and while I’ve enjoyed my summer a lot, it’s gonna be good to get back into it. At least I’ll get a soft start this week as Jisoo and I have a few meetings and then a lot of planning to do.”

“That’s great, loving your job is honestly the best feeling. I can’t wait to meet Jisoo, since you chose her as your best friend, she must be great.”

“She is, you’ll love her. Just don’t like her too much.” Jennie half teased, poking her tongue out at Chaeng. “She’s very different from me, probably more of a mix of me and you. She loves going out, she’s much more of a free spirit than I am, but she’s also brilliant and the most supportive and loving person in my life.”

“I wish I could’ve met her sooner, I’m sure she could’ve given me some dirt on you. What skeletons are in your closet, Kim?”

“If I told you that, I’d have to kill you and that really would’ve been such a shame cause I was planning on keeping you around for a while longer.”

“…before you add me to your closet?”

“Before I add you to my closet,” she confirmed nonchalantly, piercing a piece of meat with her fork before popping it into her mouth with a small happy dance, something she’d clearly picked up from Chaeyoung. “Anyways, what’s winter like here?”

“Uhh, same as the city? We’re not that far away, you know that, right?”

“I know, but sometimes there are big regional differences.” Chaeng laughed, wrapping her arms even tighter around Jennie as she pushed her face into the girl’s neck.

“You sound like such a grandma.”

“Oh, you didn’t know? I have five grandkids; Lottie, Dottie, Scottie, Mottie, and Turtle Rabbit.”

“Ah, yes, you have been sleep talking about them, especially Turtle Rabbit. I was starting to wonder if she was someone you were seeing behind my back – wait, it’s a she, right?”

Trying to keep a serious face, Jennie nodded along, “oh, it’s very much a she.” She finally cracked, thinking of Jisoo introducing herself as Jisoo Turtle Rabbit Kim any chance she gets. “It’s Jisoo.”

“Jisoo’s your granddaughter? Amazing, you two must have a great relationship.”

“I used to take care of her as a child, Turtle Rabbit has always been a special one, she needed extra attention.”

“Sounds like you’re as good of a grandmother as you are a girlfriend.”

“Honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

“Mmm, I can’t wait to see what the future holds then.”

“Me neither,” gently stroking Chaeng’s cheek, she gave her girl a loving smile while her head filled with thoughts of her future with Chaeyoung. “Now back to the weather, do you get snow?”

“Mhm, we do. But it doesn’t get super cold. Autumn is quite long here, it’s beautiful. I love riding my bike around the lake and look at all the leaves that have changed colors.”

“I promise to practice my bike skills so we can go together without accidents.”

“Aww, baby, that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“I know, I’m such a charmer.” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she softened her fake arrogance with a sweet kiss and some food for Chaeng. “Do you usually stay here for the holidays?”

“My family lives in the city, so I usually head home. Christmas is really special in my family, so I hate missing out on seeing my family during that time. Lisa’s family lives in Thailand, and she tries to go home any chance she gets, but those few years where she hasn’t been able to go home for Christmas, she’s come with me so she doesn’t have to be alone.”

“That’s so nice of you, Lisa seems great. She’s lucky to have you.”

“To be honest, I think we found each other when we both needed it the most. I know we’ve been very busy with each other this summer, but once the semester starts, I’d like for you two to get to know each other better.”

“I guess we gotta get back to reality, huh?”

“Aww baby, don’t pout. You look super cute, but I want happy Jennie. I promise we’ll still have time for each other, we just have to make time for each other. And you’re worth my time and attention. Maybe in a few weeks, when we’re more settled into our new daily lives, we can have a little dinner party?”

“Ohh, that sounds fun! Super domestic, I approve.” Jennie suddenly got all excited at the idea, making Chaeng smile as she managed to turn that frown upside down. “Are you still going to stay over here most days?”

“Uhm, I’ll stay over as much as I can, but maybe not as much as I have lately.”

“I do wanna pout now, but I’m a big girl and I know you need alone time sometimes too.”

“Don’t want you to grow tired of me just yet, now do we.”

“Oh cutie, I could never grow tired of you. But yeah, I agree. We need to give each other some time every now and then. Just know that you still have a key and you’re welcome to come over whenever you feel like it.”

“Dating a mature woman sure is something else. I was thinking we could go for a hike today. I know a nice path about an hour’s drive from here, it’s not too strenuous, a bit secluded, and has amazing views.”

“Usually I hear the word ‘hike’ and shut down, but it’s you and you said it’s not strenuous, so I’ll join. But I’m warning you, if it’s more strenuous than I’m picturing, you’ll have to carry me.”

“Deal”

\--

“You’re so tiny, but you’re so heavy.” She was whining, sweat dripping down her forehead, her breathing heavy as she gripped Jennie’s legs tightly, the older woman’s arms wrapped firmly around her neck.

“Rude! That’s no way to talk to your girlfriend.”

“I didn’t think I’d actually have to carry you; this hill isn’t that hard.”

“Don’t worry, I can walk down by myself.”

“Oh gee, thank you, so generous.”

“I know, now giddy up!” With a huff, she walked on, carrying Jennie on her back all the way to the top, finally setting her down as she reached the end of the path. “Ta da!” spreading her arms, she showed off the beautiful view with a huge grin on her face, her previous exhaustion long gone. “So worth it, right?” Hearing nothing from her girlfriend, she turned around to find Jennie awestruck, staring out at the horizon, taking it all in.

“Wow. Chae, it’s gorgeous.” Never taking her eyes off the horizon, she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend in a tight hug.

“Worth the hike?”

“Worth every single moment.” Taking another moment to appreciate the view, she let out a soft sigh before turning to look up at Chaeyoung. “I’m sorry for making you carry me.”

“I’m sorry for saying you were heavy. You’re not, I was just joking. I’d carry you anywhere if it meant I got to experience things like this with you.”

“Thank you for taking me here. It feels like the perfect end to the summer.”

“Come on, let’s grab a seat before we hike back.” Leading Jennie over to some rocks, she sat down, guiding Jennie to sit between her legs, slightly below her so she could rest her chin on Jennie’s shoulder. “Today’s the perfect hiking day, huh?”

Wrapping Chae’s arms around herself, she began playing with her fingers as she took it all in. The sun glistening on the water, the skies completely clear of clouds, the dazzling blue shining down on them, the rolling hills leading down from the hilltop they were seated at, filled with wild flowers and bushes, the green contrasting and complimenting the deep blue of the ocean and the sky.

“Almost as perfect as you, baby.”

“Lucky for you, I think you’re too cute to gag on the cheesiness.”

Snuggling further into Chae’s embrace, Jennie closed her eyes, feeling the sun shine down on them, feeling completely and utterly safe and content. “You took Friday off, right?”

“Mhm, just like I promised. We can spend all day together.”

“Giving me the motivation I need to get my meetings with Soo done as quickly as possible.”

“Any thoughts on what you wanna do?”

“Okay, don’t laugh, but I kinda just wanna stay at home all day, order take out, relax, and enjoy your presence.”

“No laughing here, that sounds nice. We have done a lot this summer, it’ll be nice to take a breather and spend some time together before chaos erupts.” Jennie was enjoying the moment when Chae suddenly giggled, taking her by surprise. “Hey, I thought you said you weren’t gonna laugh at me!”

“I’m not, cutie. I’m laughing at myself, actually.”

Turning her head, Jennie looked up at Chae who was sporting a small smile, still looking out towards the horizon. “Yourself? Why?”

“Because I never thought I’d get here.”

“Here? Haven’t you been here before?”

Letting out another small laugh, she finally looked away from the view, instead leaning down to give Jennie a small peck. “I don’t mean physically here; I mean at this point in a relationship. Being this domestic and loving it. I love the thought of just spending a day at home with you, but if anyone had ever suggested that before I would’ve rolled my eyes and thought it was boring before even trying it. But with you…” Letting out a soft sigh, she hugged Jennie closer to her, nuzzling into her hair, “With you I don’t care about going to parties, constantly staying active in order to have fun and not get bored of people, I can’t get enough of you.

“I know we haven’t been together for that long, but you’ve turned my life around, and I hate how cliché that is, but it suddenly makes sense to me now. I’m sorry for laughing, but I really was just laughing at the path my life has taken and how different it is from even just a couple of months ago.”

“ _Chae…_ ” Kissing her forehead, she let her lips linger as they both closed their eyes. “That was beautiful, baby, thank you. I was so excited to move here and start the next chapter of my life, but I never in my wildest dreams thought that I’d meet someone who makes me this happy, and to think it all started at a bar.”

“For me that’s very on brand, but what came after definitely wasn’t. We should head back soon, we still gotta drive home.”

“Just a few more minutes, please.” Lacing their fingers together, Jennie leaned back, memorizing the view, the feel of Chaeyoung’s arms around her, the smell of her perfume, and most importantly; the fluttering of her own heart.

*******

“You look exhausted.” Jisoo was standing in her doorway, a huge travel mug of coffee in one hand, a purse slung over her shoulder, and her hair slightly tousled as she took off her oversized sunglasses.

“Thanks, Jendeuk.” Her tone was sarcastic as she pushed her way into the apartment, collapsing onto Jennie’s couch with a loud sigh. “My flight was delayed. I didn’t arrive until super late; I’ve barely gotten any sleep.”

“Oh no, who would’ve thought that could happen when you decide to arrive quite literally last minute? Color me shocked.”

“Oh ha-ha, you’re so funny. I’m here, aren’t I.”

“I will deny it if anyone asks, but I missed you, Chu.”

“Of course you did, that’s not a surprise.” Jisoo took a big sip of her coffee, trying to wash her morning sarcasm away. “I missed you too, though I hear you had quite the summer without me.”

“She’s…” with a dreamy look on her face, she joined Jisoo on the couch, “amazing, simply amazing.”

“So I’m guessing it’s going well?”

“You have no idea. It’s so different from anything I’ve felt before. I thought I had it good with Doyeon, but with Chaeng it never feels boring, every day is exciting, regardless of what we do.”

“Maybe there’s some truth in opposites attract? I liked Doyeon, don’t get me wrong, but you two weren’t exactly the most thrilling, spontaneous couple I’ve ever met. Chaeyoung seems good for you.”

“I can’t wait for you to meet her,” pouting slightly with thought, she grabbed Jisoo’s free hand, squeezing it slightly, “your opinion means a lot to me. Everything has gone so fast with her and it scares me and excites me all at once, I need your outside perspective.”

“Jen, you need to trust your instinct more. Sure, she’s a bit younger than you, and has a different past, but she seems super into you and that’s all that matters. But of course I’m super excited to meet her as well, she’s been good for you. I think it’ll have to be next week though, I’m super busy this week with getting settled in and organized before classes start.”

“Sure, no problem. We’ll have a dinner here sometime next week.”

“Should I be strict, intimidating Chu or soft Chu?”

“Don’t you dare scare my girlfriend away, Turtle Rabbit.” She glared at the girl next to her who gave her a grin and an eyebrow wiggle in return. But Jennie knew it didn’t really matter, at the end of the day Jisoo would always have her back.

“Come on then, Bridget, we’ve got a meeting to catch.”

“Bridget?”

“You look about as well rested as Bridget Jones did.”

“Oh you little-”

*******

_Chaengie: How was your meeting today?_

_Surprisingly good and efficient, we’re off to a good start. It’s been really good to see Jisoo again too, I’m at her place helping her get settled :Jen_

_Chaengie: That’s great. Crossing my fingers that all your meetings goes well this week so you can have a stress-free transition <3 _

_Thank you, cutie <3 how’s your day been? :Jen_

_Chaengie: bleurgh, y’know, Mondays. I can’t sleep over tonight :( Lisa’s really missed me, we’re doing a movie night with Suze, I think I need to make it up to her for being gone so much this summer._

_I’ll miss you, but I understand. I don’t want you to stop seeing your friends just bc you’re in a relationship, I’ve always hated when my friends have done that in the past. Your friends are important to you, and they deserve to see your gorgeous face too. :Jen_

_Chaengie: babyyyy_ 😩 _you’re making me wanna ditch everything and come over to see you_

_Do it ;) seriously tho, I’ll be busy helping Chu for the next few days so you enjoy time with your friends, and we can catch up on Thursday after work? :Jen_

_Chaengie: Are you saying I won’t see you for three days??_

_Sorry bby, work and friendship called, apparently they demand attention too, or they get grumpy. But from Thursday 6pm I’m all yours! :Jen_

_Chaengie: miss u already… ugh Lisa’s threatening to throw my phone out the window, gtg, I’ll text u later <3_

_Miss you too, tell them I said hi and that Lisa’s a meanie :Jen_

*******

“Oh my gooooood!” Jisoo groaned, leaning back over her chair, throwing her head back dramatically for added effect. “Why did we say yes to this?! We’re not ready to be _professors_ , who knew we had to prep everything ourselves?!”

It was Thursday morning, they’d spent the last few days attending meetings with their new coworkers, getting Jisoo settled in her new apartment a few blocks from Jennie’s place, and most importantly; finishing up their syllabus and course outline. They’d done the majority of the work before the summer, and they were building on the previous course outline, but over the summer they’d continued finding articles and topics they wanted to add in order to replace some more outdated pieces.

“Hey, don’t blame me, you’re the one who dragged me into this.”

“Kill me. Seriously, I hate this. Those little shits better appreciate all our hard work.”

“You know they won’t, but it’s okay, at least we’ll still have some time for research and if we’re lucky maybe we’ll convince some of them to pursue their doctorates.”

“Only doing this for the research at this point, I swear if I have to read one more paper on why taxes should be banned and everyone should just be allowed to do whatever the fuck they want, and why do we even need governments, I’m gonna jump off the nearest bridge.”

“Remember the one we got a few years ago that claimed that the solution to global warming was to mass produce ice machines and pour the ice into the ocean and somehow everything would magically be okay?”

Groaning for the nth time that day, Jisoo slammed her head on the table a little too hard, resulting in another groan as she rubbed her forehead. “People are so stupid. You’d think there weren’t any criteria for being accepted into college. Like, how did that guy even pass elementary school?”

“Beats me. Now c’mon, if we work hard today, we can take tomorrow and the weekend off. Scratch that; we have to finish up today because I promised Chae I’d be all hers from 6pm tonight.”

“Aww, you miss her don’t you?”

Growling slightly, Jennie threw her a glare due to the teasing tone of Jisoo’s voice, but she couldn’t deny it. “Of course I do. She’s amazing in bed, she’s easy on the eyes, and she makes me happy.” 

“Jen?”

“Hmm?” She was so focused on the paperwork in front of her to even notice how Jisoo was looking at her.

“Do you love her?”

Her eyes shot up, widening slightly in reaction to Jisoo’s question. “Oh!” Crossing her arms across her chest, she bit her lip as she eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Uhh-I, uhm.”

Reaching over the table, Jisoo put a reassuring hand on Jennie’s arm, her eyes warm and comforting. “Jendeuk, you can trust me, I’m your best friend. If you can’t open up to me, who can you open up to?”

Inflating her cheeks with air, she let out a loud sigh, closing her eyes as she braced herself. “Yeah, I’m in love with her.”

Squealing, Jisoo excitedly grabbed her arm with both hands, “tell me everything! Have you told her?”

“I hate you. Ugh. No, I haven’t told her and I’m not going to because I’m terrified that she won’t feel the same way or that she feels it’s too soon and runs for the hills. I’m madly in love with her Jisoo, she makes me so incredibly happy and confident, and I see a future with her. I’m like one sappy moment away from asking her to move in with me! But it’s been two months and I’m moving too fast and what if I’m getting too emotionally attached and then she leaves me?”

“Babe, you need to realize how great you truly are. You keep saying how Chaeyoung makes you feel, but imagine how you make her feel? She’s young and wild, and she’s chosen to spend all summer with you, and from the sound of it you two have spent almost every waking second together. She clearly adores you. Don’t be scared, embrace it. When the right moment comes, you should tell her how you feel. What if she feels the same way, but is also scared to tell you, and then you later on find out that you both felt this way and could’ve told each other way sooner?”

“Chichu, you know I hate it when you’re right,” she gave her best friend a fake scowl, “and I promise to think about it and tell her when the moment feels right. Now come on, classes start on Monday and we need to be fierce when those kids see us for the first time, if we come off as weak, they’ll eat us alive.”

“Obviously hearing you say that I’m right is enough of a motivation for me to power through. I can live off of this alone for years to come. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, we have no time to waste! Get miss Chaeyoung outta your head and get BUSMGT 839 in.”

“Aye aye captain.”

*******

“Mmm, I’ve missed you so much.” Snuggling into Jennie’s embrace, Chaeyoung let out a low hum of content.

“Me too, baby. I’ve spent way too much time with Jisoo this week, made me miss you even more. You’re definitely the better snuggler.” With a kiss on Chaeng’s forehead, she wrapped her arm around her shoulder, pulling the younger woman closer to her.

“Damn straight I am, I’d be offended if you insinuated anything else.”

They’d already eaten the takeout Chaeng had brought and caught each other up on their week, and now they were simply enjoying each other’s presence on the couch. Jennie’s balcony doors were open, letting in a soft breeze and the distant sound of students enjoying the end of the summer. The town’s population had once again increased as the start of the school year was upon them, and it made Jennie realize how much of a college town this really was. While the town wasn’t tiny by any means, it was still small enough to notice when hordes of college students came back and being from the big city, it was definitely not something Jennie was used to experiencing.

As they were talking, Chaeng ended up with her head resting on Jennie’s lap, the older woman running her fingers through hazelnut brown hair. “Your hair is so soft.”

A small smile spread on her face as she looked up at Jennie, “Thank you. I’ve noticed you like to play with it, so I’ve been taking extra good care of it lately.”

“It was actually one of the first things I noticed about you, I just love this color, and the cut frames your face beautifully.”

“Jennnn, oh my god,” hiding her face in her hands, she felt her ears heat up.

“Nooo, don’t hide your face, you’re gorgeous and I wanna stare at you.”

“You’re making me so shy.”

“Well I’m not gonna stop doing it, because this,” she lovingly poked Chae’s cheeks, “is adorable and I love seeing you blush.”

“How did I get so lucky?”

“Beats me, honestly.”

Comfortable silence surrounded them as Chaeng played with Jennie’s fingers, leaving little kisses on them every now and then as Jennie watched with so much love in her eyes.

“Tell me more about yourself?”

“What do you wanna know?”

“Everything you wanna tell me.”

“Mmkay, well, where to begin? I grew up in Australia with my parents and my sister. I’d say we had a pretty good life there; I had great friends, my sister and I were very close despite our four year age difference, we’d go on holiday and get to experience different parts of the world, and I got a ‘best of both worlds’ situation with western and Asian cultures together. You’ll probably be surprised to hear this, but I was actually a bit of a church girl back in Australia.

“Then, when I was 16 my dad got a job offer in Korea. Apparently, him and my mom had considered moving back for a while, and the job offer happened to come at the right time. Dad’s a lawyer, and was offered a really good job with a well-known firm, so it made sense for him to accept it, no matter how much I hated the thought. I’d never been to Korea for more than two weeks at a time, and while I loved it here, it wasn’t a place I’d ever thought I’d live. My Korean wasn’t perfect, and I was an Aussie through and through, not to mention all my friends that I’d leave behind. I began acting out more and doing whatever I could to protest, but my parents weren’t having it and we ended up moving either way.

“At one point, my sister even offered to have me come live with her as she’d moved away for college, but my mom wouldn’t let me, she said I was too young to move away from home. I guess it wouldn’t have made much difference anyways; Alice lived in a different city far from Melbourne and I’d still have to leave my friends, so I sucked it up and moved to Korea.

“And by ‘sucked it up’, I mean I stopped going to church and I started rebelling. Of course, I was still a kid and living at home, so rebelling was more of stomping up the stairs and lightly slamming my door once every six months cause my mom is amazing but also scary.”

She’d been focused on Jennie’s fingers that she’d been fidgeting with while talking, but the sound of Jennie’s laughter made her look up to meet her eye. “Teenage Chaeng sounds hilarious, and I can’t wait to meet your family, they sound awesome.”

“Yeah, yeah they’re great and they’re for sure gonna love you. My parents have a thing for intellectuals; both my parents and my sister are all lawyers, and I can already picture them staring at you with heart eyes.”

“Ah yes, honestly this is like a lifelong dream of mine. I’ve always craved adult praise and approval, so if your parents look at me like that, I’m gonna be all giddy on the inside.”

“Well, you can have all of my praise and approval and heart eyes.”

“Mmm, thank you, baby.” Leaning down, they shared a sweet kiss, Chaeng lightly cupping the back of Jennie’s neck, preventing her from moving back up so she could continue giving her little pecks. “You know I love kissing you, gorgeous, but I wanna hear more about this rebellious side of yours.”

“Hmm, turns you on, doesn’t it?”

“So much,” with one final kiss, she gently grabbed Chaeng’s hand that was cupping her neck, lacing their fingers together. “Go on.”

“Ahh okay, uhm- so, through high school I was like quietly rebelling, and this is also when I met Lisa who is honestly the opposite of rebel, but she’s like an excited puppy who goes along with anything you say, so I dragged her along with me. We applied for the same colleges, got into the same ones as well, and moved here together. And for the first time in my life, I was finally free to do whatever I wanted. No more religious parents watching your every move. No more church girl Chae. I could let my hair down and go wild, which was what I did. My first semester here I barely scraped by grades wise, I was constantly out partying, hooking up with people, breaking hearts…”

Letting out a sigh, she turned her head so Jennie couldn’t look at her. “I’m not proud of who I was; I went overboard, and I just didn’t care about anyone or anything, including myself. I was constantly either drunk, or hung over, and I was an awful friend and flat mate to Lisa. Half way through our second semester she completely flipped out on me one day after a ONS had slept over, yelling about how I was acting like a stuck up bitch who was using women in order to feel better about myself and that if I didn’t improve she’d be moving out during the summer because she was sick of living with a messy asshole.

“And honestly, it was more effective than a slap in the face. I was so mad at her at first, thinking she was in the wrong, but after sulking about it for a few days I realized how right she was, so I apologized and told her that I’d get my act together and that I’d really appreciate her help. It took some time, but eventually I got back on my feet. I stopped drinking as much, started focusing on improving my grades, and spent a lot more time with Lisa.

“That being said, I still enjoy a good party and I still drink, and uhh I still slept with people, I was just a lot more mindful of Lisa and later on Suzy, and toned wild-girl Chae down a few notches.”

“What’s current Chae like?”

“Hmm, after I met you current Chae has become domestic, and cuddly, and truly happy. I no longer need to go out to have fun, I’d much rather just be with you.”

“Hey babe,” she gently put a hand on Chae’s cheek, making her turn her head so they could look at each other again, “you don’t have to be ashamed of who you were. Leaving your friends and moving to a new country is a scary experience, especially at such a vulnerable age, and I completely understand why you acted out. That’s not what’s important. What’s important is that you realized your wrong doings and worked hard to improve. The fact that current Chaeyoung is happy makes me happy, and I love spending time with you. I’m so proud of you for opening up to me and becoming the person you are today.”

Cuddling further into Jennie’s lap, Chaeyoung let out a soft hum and placed small kisses on Jennie’s hand, Jennie’s free hand running through hazelnut brown hair.

Zoning out for a moment, she continued stroking Chae’s hair as she contemplated what Chae had just told her. Learning about Chaeyoung’s past didn’t make her love her any less, if anything, she was even more proud that her girlfriend had managed to become the amazing person she’d come to love. Maybe this was the moment Jisoo had been talking about? The perfect opportunity to reveal her feelings?

“Hey Chae?” Her voice was soft as she pulled herself out of her reverie.

Hearing no response from the girl in question, she looked down to find Chaeng peacefully asleep on her lap.

With a smile, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to Chaeyoung’s forehead, whispering into her ear, “sleep tight, my love. I’ll tell you some other day.”


	8. putain de bordel de merde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer's come to an end and Jennie and Chaeng make the best of it, unaware of what's to come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I've been gone for a while, haven't I? I'm really sorry, I've just had a lot going on in my personal life that took a lot of energy out of me. I can't promise to update frequently over Christmas, but I'll try to be back properly soon. Have a great Christmas if you celebrate it, and Happy New Year!

Jennie Kim was in love.

There was no denying it anymore. She was completely and utterly in love with the tall brunette that was currently asleep in her arms as they lay on the couch. Her face was peaceful, her mouth slightly open, and her nose scrunched up, occasionally wiggling as if she was dreaming. 

Yes, Jennie Kim is in love.

And she doesn't hate it. 

Sure, Chaeyoung is much younger than her, but 6 years never hurt nobody, they were both consenting adults and if anything, Chaeyoung was the one who lead the relationship in the direction it had headed. Not that Jennie minded. 

And sure, she’d been ready to spill her deepest and darkest secret just now, but seeing as the opportunity had passed, she decided that it was now better to wait. Their three months together was coming up in a few weeks, and it would be nice to go away for the weekend. What better than to reveal her true feelings during a romantic getaway? Maybe they’d drive out to the coast? Maybe the city? Nah, a city getaway wasn’t very romantic now was it?

But a picnic on the beach… perhaps a swim in the sea, if the temperature allowed it. Lying side by side in a grassy field, looking up at the sky, pointing out shooting stars and constellations. Wrapping warm blankets around themselves when a cool breeze hit.

Sharing kisses under the night sky with no one around, the world seemingly empty as she let Chaeyoung surround her senses. Feeling her long, soft locks tickle her neck and cheeks, her perfume wrapping her up like a blanket as it drifted into her nose, her fingers ghosting over her bare stomach, moving upwards to cup her breasts… She’d pull the tall girl on top of her, wrap her in an embrace, and whisper in her ear how much she loved her. Maybe Chaeyoung would smile, giggle, kiss her cheeks… it would be magical.

Jennie could practically feel it already. Sure, Chaeyoung was actually in her arms and surrounding her senses, but closing her eyes she smiled widely while imagining those three words slipping from Chaeng’s plump lips…

Sighing with content, she kissed Chaeng’s temple and turned off the TV and fell into her own deep sleep.

By the time she woke up, she was surprised to find herself in her own bed, blanket loosely covering her stomach, wearing only a tank top and some panties.

Looking around, she found no signs of Chaeyoung, eyebrows knitting together while a small pout formed on her lips. She gripped the blanket with one hand, ready to throw it off herself as her bare foot touched down on the cool wooden floor, the bedroom door opening at that very moment.

“Oh!” freezing in her spot at the doorway, the surprised frown was quickly replaced by a gigantic smile, the younger woman leaping onto the bed with a giggle, Jennie admiring how her hair flew in the wind. “You’re awake.” Jennie was humming when she nuzzled her nose into soft, hazelnut-brown tresses, biting her tongue in order to hold back the three words she was dying to say. “I didn’t intend to get up yet, I just had to use the bathroom.”

“We can go back to sleep if you want. Did you carry me back here?”

She shifted down to get comfortable, pulling Jennie in closer. “Mhm, you looked so peaceful I didn’t have the heart to wake you. Besides, you’re basically a grandma so I didn’t want your back to suffer.”

“Oh ha-ha, so funny you are.”

“It’s what you like about me.” She was grinning happily, and Jennie wanted to kiss the smile off her face, but instead she rolled her eyes and put her head on Rosie’s shoulder. “Shush, sleepy time.”

“Yes grandma.” Chae giggled when Jennie pinched her side, mumbling about how disrespectful young people had become. “Sleep tight Jen.” Her little frown turned into a shy smile once she felt Chaeng’s lips on her forehead, giving her a comforting kiss.

\--

“It’s just so sad, you know?” she was sniffling, wiping her eyes with the proffered Kleenex, lower lip automatically jutting out into the cutest pout Jennie had ever seen. “I mean, why did they have to do that? Couldn’t they have made this movie without adding that scene?”

“Uhh,” Jennie froze for a second, stuck between stating the obvious and going gentle on the clearly distraught girl who was currently sobbing in her arms. “I mean, not really?”

“What do you mean not really?” the younger woman gasped, pulling back from Jennie’s embrace to stare at her with an utterly scandalized expression, making Jennie feel slightly guilty, despite the honestly not too serious topic they were discussing.

“Well, you know, that scene is kinda what pushed the movie forward? Sure, I wish Bambi’s mom hadn’t been shot too, that’s not what I’m saying at all, but it did make his dad reveal himself and taught him about the dangers of the forest? Or rather, the dangers of mankind.”

“But he could’ve learned that without losing his mother!” her voice was getting high pitched as tears continued streaming down her face, the obvious sadness in her eyes coupled with the extra fluffy cheeks made Jennie fall for her even harder. Cooing, she cupped her girlfriend’s face, placing loving kisses on her cheeks, eyes, forehead, nose and finally lips.

“You’re absolutely right, cutie. Do you wanna continue watching or should we find something less sad?” In all fairness, Rosie had chosen the movie, and it’s not like it was the first time she’d ever seen it. But Jennie could’ve never predicted the reaction to the dramatic death of Bambi’s mother. And she figured it was better to agree with what her girl was saying rather than stand her ground on this completely irrelevant topic.

“No, I wanna continue, I’ll be okay once Faline has their fawns.”

Engulfing the pouty brunette in a hug, Jennie pressed play again and kissed her head lovingly. “I’m right here if you need a shoulder to cry on. Let it all out.”

“Thank you.” Still sniffling slightly, she got comfy in the nook of Jennie’s arm, going back to enjoy the movie and the popcorn. Before long, she was back to smiling at the ridiculously cute animated animals.

“What I don’t get, is everyone’s obsessive need to try to romantically link them? It makes no sense.”

“The world is obsessed with heteronormativity babe, they love talking about how the gays are corrupting the kids, while writing unnecessary make out scenes left and right.”

“I saw someone practically dry humping each other at the supermarket a few weeks ago, and there was way too much tongue involved, and some parent legit told their kids that one day that would be them? Like? Wtf??”

“Humans don’t make sense and gays are superior. That being said, I’d totally dry hump you outside the supermarket.” Grinning, Chaeng wiggled her eyebrows at Jennie who in return rolled her eyes and mumbled about public indecency.

“No humping at the supermarket.”

“Mmm, we’ll see about that, I’ll have you changing your mind before you know it.”

“Aaaaand back to the movie. They’ve known each other for approximately 36 hours, but because she is a recently single woman in her early thirties, and he’s a widower who’s new to her hometown when they magically meet, they’re apparently destined to be. 36 hours and her parents, his best friend, a random dog and the entire rest of the town keep creepily smirking at them in a ‘nudge nudge’ way, and they’ve already almost kissed four times.”

“You’re the one who wanted to watch it!”

“It’s my kryptonite. It’s my Bambi. I hate it, but god if I don’t love it.”

“You’re a strange one, Jennie Kim.”

“Better you know it now than 12 years down the line.”

“Oddly specific number, but I’ll take it. Oh, by the way, I was planning on taking you somewhere fun tomorrow.”

“Have I told you I have the best girlfriend?”

“A few times in bed. Which reminds me, I can’t sleep here this weekend.”

With a gasp, Jennie paused the movie and stared at her girl. “But why not?” her lower lip was slowly jutting out with a quiver.

“Lisa and I have this tradition where the last day before the semester starts, we sleep in, make brunch, usually with mimosas, talk, watch movies and enjoy life before school starts. We’ve been doing it since we first became friends.”

“That is so cute, I can’t believe you still do that! I love traditions.”

“I can’t imagine not doing it with her, it’s so much fun. We basically just eat a lot of junk food and have fun.”

“Hopefully we can make our own traditions soon.”

Nuzzling into Jennie’s hair, Chaeng placed open mouthed kisses along Jennie’s jawline until she reached her lips, whispering against them, “I’d love to make traditions with you,” a small smirk plastered on her face as she heard Jennie gasp quietly as their lips met. “Making out on the couch seems to be our first tradition together.”

Humming, Jennie wrapped her arm around Chaeng’s neck, pulling her in closer, catching Chaeng’s bottom lip between her teeth. “Shh, more kissing, less talking.”

“Aye aye captain.”

*******

“Are we almost there?” Playing with Chaeyoung’s right hand, Jennie looked out the window, taking in the unfamiliar scenery. They’d been driving for a while already, with the younger woman refusing to tell her girlfriend where they were going despite tenacious effort from Jennie’s side.

“So close now.”

“How close?”

“If this was a plane ride, now would be the time to finally fall asleep.”

“ _That_ close, huh?”

Turning on her turn signal, Chae slowed down so she could turn left as they entered a town Jennie didn’t know. “That close.” Parking on the side of the road, she turned to Jennie with a shy smile, nervously scratching the nape of her neck. “I don’t actually know if this is something you’ll enjoy, but uhh I don’t know, I think it’s fun and I’m hoping you do too.”

Smiling gently at Chaeyoung’s uncharacteristic nerves, Jennie leaned over the center console and placed a soothing kiss on her girlfriend’s soft, fluffy cheek. “I’m almost certain I’ll love it, because I enjoy spending time with you. But you’re cute when you’re nervous.”

“You think so?”

“So, so cute. Literally the cutest.” This was quite the change of pace for the two of them, with Jennie usually being the shy one, but she loved seeing this side of Chaeng.

“Staaaahhhhpppp, you’re making me blush.” Chae covering her face made Jennie fall for her even harder. She was so in love with this girl, and would it really be so bad if she just blurted it right then and there? Sure, inside a parked car at the side of a road in a town she didn’t know the name of wasn’t exactly the most romantic setting, but at the same time, did it matter? It wasn’t like Chaeyoung was this hoity toity girl who only cared about appearance and status, she was silly and loving and spontaneous, and she made Jennie’s life better.

“I can’t believe you’re making me so nervous about minigolf!” Just as Jennie was about to blurt it out, Chaeng cut her off, and Jennie didn’t really mind. It just meant it wasn’t the right moment just yet.

“Wait, minigolf? Is that what we’re doing?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to reveal that, but yeah, is that ok?”

“It’s perfect! I love minigolf.”

“Score! And this one’s really fun because it’s blacklight minigolf and they have different themes in different rooms that’s painted in neon colors that light up the rooms. We have a minigolf course in town as well, but this one’s a lot cooler and a bit harder. Besides, the drive here is quite nice.”

“Mhm, I like road trips with you. Now come on, let’s go so I can beat you.”

“Someone’s overly confident in their own abilities.”

“Oh, you’ll see, Park Chaeyoung, you will see.”

\--

“You cheated!” Her playful scowl was adorable, and Jennie really couldn’t help but coo as she gave her a side hug.

“Aww, cutie! Chaeyoung-ah, be excited, maybe you’ll get something fun from me. You did, after all, win second place.”

“There’s a second-place price?”

“Of course there is, what type of lame ass competition do you think this is? And I think you’ll enjoy it.”

“What is it?” Her scowl was slowly making way for to a small smile, Jennie’s gummy smile being more contagious than a yawn.

“A dream date with the one and only Minigolf Master, Jennie Kim.”

Gasping, Chaeng clapped her hands excitedly, “this is even better than winning first price, a dream date with Minigolf Master, _and_ Champion, Jennie Kim has been a dream of mine for so long, I don’t even know what to do.”

“Lucky for you, I’m planning it. Feel free to give me requests and I will take them into consideration.”

“When will this special date take place?”

“Next Saturday, will that work for you?”

“I’ll schedule it in, probably with hearts and stars around it.”

“And multicolored pens?”

“I thought that was a given. If I look hard enough, I might even find some fruit scented ones.”

“Aww, that’s cute. From when you were a kid?”

“You’d think, but no, Lisa gave them to me a couple of years ago actually. And then she made me draw pictures of the fruit in question so she could quote unquote smell and see the pineapple all at once.”

“I like her, I think I need to stay over at your place more often.”

“Oh, Lisa and Suzy would love that, they’d wanna stay up all night and share stories about me.”

“You’re saying that if I stay over more Lisa will share all your secrets from uni?”

“…I should not have said that...”

“Mwahaha if I had Lisa’s number, I would’ve texted her right now to arrange a sleepover.”

“Remind me never to give it to you.”

Pouting, Jennie took the proffered hand as they exited the building and walked down the half-busy street. “Meanie. I’m just trying to get to know my girlfriend better.”

“And you will. Through your girlfriend.”

“As if you’d give me all the juicy details.”

“You seem to be forgetting babe,” she began before looking both ways and dragging Jennie across the street, “that everything about me is a juicy detail.”

With a smirk, Jennie purposely fell half a step behind Chaeyoung, humming appreciatively, “very juicy indeed…”

“Stop staring at my ass, Kim.”

“Never, Park.”

“Mmm, that’s my girl.” Wrapping her arm around Jennie’s shoulder, she pulled her in for a kiss before opening a door for her girl. “After you, my dear.”

*******

“Breakfast’s served!”

Suzy’s voice was a little too cheerful as she put the final plate down on the table, a loud groan coming from Chaeyoung as she rolled herself out of her blanket constraint, still hung over from last night’s drinking. “Shh, not so loud.”

“You definitely can’t hold alcohol like you used to, Chong-ah.” Lisa grinned at her as she plopped down on the couch, grabbing a plate and stacking it up with various food. “Mimosa me, Suze!”

“That’s what she gets from dating an older woman, all she gets now is wine nights in front of the TV.”

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.” Wrapping her blankets tightly around her, the hazelnut-brunette whined as she sat up, accepting the plate Lisa was handing her full of waffles, scrambled eggs, kimchi and bacon.

“I mean, not really. She’s good for you, you seem happy.”

“I am.”

“Where do you think it’s going? Summer fling or long-term thing?” Lisa stared at her once skittish best friend who would run at the mention of the word commitment.

“I mean…” Pushing the food around on her plate, she furrowed a brow as her tongue poked out to lick her lips, a tell-tale sign that she was deep in thought. “I’m in love. She makes me so happy, she’s funny and geeky and smart beyond belief, she’s domestic and in some ways predictive, and I’m so madly in love with her.”

“Whoa.” Well, that was something Lisa hadn’t heard her say for a very long time.

“Are you sure?” Suzy sounded skeptical. They all knew how it had gone the last time Chaeyoung was in love. But they also knew that Jennie was different.

“Yeah, I guess I love her. She’s just so…” falling back against the couch cushions, a small smile spread across her face, “she’s mine, you know? Getting to call her mine makes my heart flutter and it’s so different from _her_. Jennie’s just so pure and good and she wouldn’t hurt a fly. Like literally, I watched her gently leading a fly back out last week. When she gave me a key to her apartment, it made me imagine a life with her. The thought of moving in with her doesn’t terrify me anymore, and don’t worry – I’m not leaving you guys just yet. I’m just saying, I want to come home to her every day, to _our_ home.”

“Do you think she feels the same way?”

“I don’t know, she hasn’t said anything yet, but sometimes I feel it from the way she looks at me, if that makes sense? There’s been a few times this last week where I’ve caught her looking at me with this…look? I don’t really know how to describe it, but it’s kinda what I imagine you look like when you’re in love, like she looks so happy and it always makes me wonder if she’s about to tell me she loves me.”

“I think she does.”

“Me too. I know we haven’t seen her much, but she seems just as happy as you do.” Putting a comforting hand on Chae’s knee, Lisa sent her a reassuring smile. “She’s good for you, Chae, I mean it. I think you got yourself a good one.”

“Thanks Lis, that means a lot.”

“Are you gonna tell her? How you feel I mean?” While Suzy hadn’t known them for as long as they’d known each other, she was still very invested in their lives and she wanted Chaeyoung to be happy.

“We’re going on a date on Saturday, I think I’ll do it then.”

Squealing, Lisa threw herself at Chaeng, peppering her face with kisses as the brunette tried pushing her friend off, “our baby is growing up! We’re so proud of you, Chong-ah, this is amazing!”

“Ahh, stop it, don’t make me tell Jennie that you’re misbehaving and kissing me.”

“Only your face and only because I’m so happy for you, I’m sure she’ll understand. Especially once she realizes why I’m so happy.”

“Remind me again why we’re best friends?”

“Because I’m the OG love of your life.”

“It’s true, you two bicker like an old married couple.”

“See, where’s the lie, Chae? Where is the lie? Now come here and join our flat mate hug, Suzy.” And while Chaeng whined and pretended to hate it, they all knew how much she secretly loved their messy group hugs that was really just limbs thrown all over the place with hair tangled together. But they wouldn’t have it any other way.

*******

“Are you ready?”

Monday morning had rolled around, and both Jisoo and Jennie were in the office bright and early preparing for their very first class as associate professors.

“As ready as I’ll ever be, what about you?”

“Meh, piece of cake, we’ll be fine, there’s nothing to be ready for.”

“But what if they’re mean to us?”

“This isn’t high school Jen, we’re literally in charge, we can take disciplinary action against them if we need to.”

“I know, but kids can be so scary.”

“They’re not kids though, now are they? They’re doing their master’s degree, they’re at least like 22, _at least_. Besides, you’re a hot professor, as if they’d make fun of you, they’ll be too busy staring at you to notice how geeky you are.”

“I don’t know if I should be honored or appalled.”

“Exactly what I was going for.”

Rolling her eyes, Jennie nervously went back to reading through their syllabus, despite knowing it by heart by now. “Did you print out the papers we’re gonna hand out?”

“Yup, I can still smell the fresh ink. I can also smell your brain going into overdrive. Please stop overthinking everything Jen, I promise you it’ll be everything we imagined and more.”

Looking up she saw that rather than sporting her overconfident smirk, Jisoo was actually serious and it made Jennie feel a lot calmer. Jisoo would have her back.

“We’re gonna knock their socks off. They’re probably expecting some dusty old dude, and instead they get us.”

“I’ve got a feeling people won’t skip our classes too much.”

“Damn straight they won’t.”

“We’ve got a few hours to get some work done, and I was thinking we could start looking at our research proposal.”

\--

“Fashionably late, that’s so us.”

“We’re two minutes late, Chu, we’re just letting people get settled before we burst in there and ruin their day with all our paperwork.”

“Let’s do this,” High fiving her best friend, Jisoo took a deep breath and opened the door. Both were looking down as they shuffled towards their desk in the auditorium, chatter filling the room as people caught up with each other after the summer.

“Hello everyone,” Jisoo put on her teacher smile and voice as she greeted the class cheerfully. “I’m Dr. Kim Jisoo, this is Dr. Kim Jennie, and we will be your professors for the next two semesters.”

Glancing over at Jennie for her to continue their introduction, she noticed how her best friend was standing completely frozen, eyes locked at someone across the room. Following Jennie’s line of sight, Jisoo found a student that was equally frozen in her seat.

“Holy motherfucking shit…” It hit her smack dab in the face as she realized why the girl looked familiar. Jennie had been sending photos of her all summer long.

Right there, in their classroom, was Park Chaeyoung.


	9. raconte-moi qu’on puisse trembler ensemble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennie tries to escape reality, much to Chaeyoung's despair

_Holy motherfucking shit_ was running on repeat in Jennie’s head as she felt herself slowly succumbing to a panic attack. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the equally shocked hazelnut brunette who was seated across the room, both of them looking like fish out of water, but thankfully only two people noticed: Jisoo and Lisa.

It was Jennie’s turn to talk, and she’d been suspiciously quiet for a tad too long, but her mind couldn’t stop analyzing the situation and running through the implications of what she’d just found out.

Whether she liked it or not, everything had just changed. The person she loved was suddenly out of reach and it felt as though she was disintegrating into thin air, all the while the walls of the room were closing in on her. Breathing became difficult, and she was one heartbeat away from collapsing onto the floor while gasping for air, when Jisoo placed a reassuring hand at the small of her back, bumping her slightly with her hip as if to encourage her.

The action made her look away from her girlfriend, eye’s locking with Jisoo’s soothing pools of brown that were nothing but encouraging and comforting, and it was just enough to break Jennie out of her haze. Shaking her head slightly, she finally allowed herself to look out across the small sea of students who were all staring at her with the level of hope and enthusiasm you only see on the first day of classes, her eyes quickly moving past the only two people, besides Jisoo, that she already knew.

“Right, as Dr. Kim said, we are looking forwards to spending some time with you in the coming year, I’m sure we’ll get to know each other quite well.” She wasn’t sure why she added that last part, but it made her blush as she thought about just how well she knew Park Chaeyoung. While she knew her very well intimately, she clearly didn’t know her as well as she’d thought she did. “Every Monday from 1 to 2:30 pm you’ll be in this lecture hall with Dr. Kim and me. Here we’ll go through the topic of the week and explain it all to you, so please make sure you’ve done your reading before the lecture so it’s easier to follow each week’s topic.

“On Wednesdays, you’ll see me in B291 from 9 till 11 am for a tutorial where we will have discussions and various activities to further understand the topic of the week, and finally on Thursdays from 11 am till 1 pm you’ll see Dr. Kim in room B394 for a team-based learning session.

“Today we’re going to go through the syllabus and answer any questions you may have, and we’ll start with this week’s topic, however, before we do that, I think we should do a round of introductions.”

They could hear sighs spreading across the room at the thought of having to introduce themselves in front of everyone, which wasn’t unexpected. “I know doing a round of introductions isn’t anyone’s favorite activity at the start of the semester, believe me, I hated it just as much as you all did when I was in your shoes.” Jisoo put on her sympathetic smile, the one that never failed to make students feel as though she was one of them and truly understood how they felt. “However, it is a good way for us as your professors to get to know you a bit better, and as this is a Master’s course, it’s very interesting to see what sort of backgrounds you all have. Please say your name, some info about your undergraduate degrees, and where you’re from.”

“Oh, but before you begin, Dr. Kim and I forgot some papers in our offices, so we’ll be right back. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves.” Jennie smiled politely and grabbed Jisoo’s arm, dragging her out of there before the older woman could object.

“We brought everything, Jen.” She finally said once the elevator opened its doors at their floor and their office door was closed safely behind them.

“I can’t do this, Jisoo.” She was seated at the edge of her office chair, head in hands as she tried to control her breathing, to seemingly no avail.

“That was her, wasn’t it? Chaeng?” crouching down in front of her, she placed her hands comfortingly on Jennie’s knees, rubbing back and forth slightly, receiving only a nod in return. “And I’m guessing you didn’t know she was gonna be in this class?”

“I had no idea she was a student.” Her voice was so quiet Jisoo had to focus to hear her. Her best friend had been through a lot, but she couldn’t remember ever hearing her sound this broken and little.

“How…” Jisoo didn’t want Jennie to think that she was being judgmental, because she really wasn’t, she was just trying to wrap her head around all of this, “how is it possible to not know that your girlfriend of 3 months is a student?”

“I never asked. She worked full time, I just figured she’d gone to school here, got a job, liked it, and never left. Chu, what do I do?”

“Right now you need to get yourself together, we need to get through this lecture, and then we’ll figure it out from there. She looked just as shocked as you, just try to keep calm and maybe, like, don’t stare at her?”

Wrapping her arms around Jisoo’s neck, Jennie buried her face in her hair, taking a few deep breaths in order to collect herself. “Thank you, Chu. Let’s get back down there before those kids leave.”

“Uhh, kinda forgetting something, Jen.”

“What? I said thank you.”

“You told them we forgot some papers. Gonna look really bad if we return empty handed.”

“Oh, right, this is why I need you as my co-professor.” With a lopsided smile, Jennie grabbed a pile of random papers from her desk, handing half of it to Jisoo as if to justify why both of them had to leave the lecture hall. As they were exiting their office, she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, pulling it out to find a text from Chaeng.

**Best girlfriend <3: **babe, are you ok??

**Best girlfriend <3: **it’ll be ok, we’ll talk about it later, but this doesn’t change how I feel about you, Jen <3

Sighing, she slipped the phone back into her pocket. She felt sick to her stomach. She loved the girl, but her career was important too. She’d worked hard to get where she was, and she didn’t want to risk it when she’d just gotten her dream job. The thought of seeing Chaeyoung always made the butterflies in her stomach multiply, but as she saw the door to the lecture hall getting closer and closer, all she felt was dread and sadness.

*******

“Today went great, didn’t it?” Jennie was absentmindedly sipping on her red wine, feet tucked beneath her on Jisoo’s couch when the older woman returned from the kitchen, wine bottle in hand. Receiving nothing but a low hum from Jennie, she took a big swing from her own glass, plucking some invisible lint off her pants. “I thought I was amazing, so smart and articulate. I really captured their attention and gained their admiration. Before long I’ll be the dean and I’ll hand over the university to our alien overlords, and they’ve promised they’ll turn me into their human queen, and I’ll rule over the humans that survive the invasion with an iron fist. I’ll turn you into my court jester, your destiny will be to keep me entertained for eternity. I chose you since you’re so fun and lively. You’re welcome.”

“Thanks.” She had clearly not heard a single word Jisoo had said, with the exception of the very last sentence, eyes still firmly planted on a random patch of carpet, brow furrowed in deep concentration. Her mind was filled with so many thoughts that she didn’t have enough time to process even one thought before another popped up and it was so frustrating. She wanted to cry and scream and beat the living shit out of a punching bag and drink an endless amount of wine and kiss the living daylights out of Park Chaeyoung to prove to her how much she loves her and _god_ she was such a fucking mess, and everything was wrong and why did this happen to her? She was finally happy, she’d had the best three months of her life, and then in one day everything came crashing down.

And Jisoo being Jisoo, she somehow knew how deep into it Jennie was and gently took the wineglass from Jennie’s grip, placing both of their glasses on the coffee table. Shifting further from the younger woman, she gently tugged on Jennie’s hand until the pouty brunette got the message and lay down with her head on Jisoo’s lap. Soothingly running her fingers through long, brown locks, Jisoo gave her best friend a sympathetic smile, “talk to me, Nini.”

“I love her, Chu. I love her so much, but I can’t do this. If anyone in the faculty finds out, I’ll be fired, and it’ll affect my position in academia forever. I love her, but I’ve dreamed of this job since I was like five years old, I can’t give that up for a 24-year-old that might not feel the same way. I can’t give that up for a three-month long relationship that might lead nowhere.”

“Have you talked to her?”

Sighing, Jennie shifted so she was facing away from Jisoo, snuggling further into her lap. “No. I turned off my phone, she kept calling and texting. Asking if I’m okay. I just can’t face her right now. Can I sleep here tonight, Chu?”

“Of course you can, love. But you can’t ignore this forever, you know that right? I know I haven’t formally met her, but we’ve talked a lot over the summer and through your stories and photos you’ve sent, I’ve never seen you happier. I know I’m in the same industry, but god some of your exes were boring as fuck. But Chaeng’s exciting, she makes you smile and laugh, she’s taken you on adventures, and she makes you happy.

“Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing, you know? Sure, she’s our student, but she’s 24. She’s not a child. I don’t know how she feels right now, but if she’s still open to continuing this relationship I think you should take that into consideration. She’s old enough to know what she’s doing. I never thought I’d advocate for a student-teacher relationship, but you’re my best friend and weirdly enough I love you a whole lot, so I will help you if you want me to. I’ll grade her assignments, so there’s no bias from you, exams are anonymous anyways so that part doesn’t matter, and I know you’re professional, you’d never treat her differently in class.”

“Jisoo, I can’t do this. I appreciate your support, but I can’t put my career at risk, and I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

Jisoo couldn’t see the tears that were streaming down Jennie’s face, but she could feel her body shaking as sobs racked her whole body.

What Jisoo didn’t know, was that Jennie didn’t want to go home in case Chaeyoung showed up.

*******

“Jennie?” she’d knocked until her knuckles were raw, to no avail. The door had remained shut, and in the end, she decided to lock herself into the flat with the key Jennie had given her. She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or not to find it empty; at least it meant Jennie wasn’t ignoring her knocking like she was avoiding her phone calls and text messages.

Looking around, she guessed Jennie hadn’t been back since she’d left for work in the morning; her usual breakfast bowl and coffee mug were still in the sink, and some papers were spread across the table – a quick look told Chae that they were related to the course that put them in this situation in the first place.

With a loud sigh, she collapsed onto the couch, cradling her face in her hands as tears threatened to spill. “C’mon Jen, don’t do this. Don’t shut me out without even giving us a chance to talk about it.”

Spinning her phone between her thumb and index finger, she contemplated calling Jennie for the nth time that afternoon, but who was she kidding? There was no reason the hard-headed brunette would pick up now after having avoided her for the better part of six hours. She could try emailing Jisoo, her other professor’s email being listed on their syllabus, but she’d rather reach Jennie directly. Besides, doing this via their school emails seemed too risky.

Usually, Chaeyoung was the first to run when things got rough, but Jennie was different and she really wanted things to work out between them. She hated how much of a cliché it was, but everything she’d heard about love at first sight that she’d always scoffed at made so much sense once she met Jennie. They’d had the most perfect summer, and then Jupiter or Saturn or Mars or whatever had to be in retrograde or some shit like that and the universe had to screw her over. Was it trying to tell her that she should live in celibacy for the rest of her life? Or become a notorious party girl with a different girl or guy in every city? Maybe she should work really hard and become so rich that people were falling at her feet?

“Ughhhhhhhh,” Chaeyoung half screamed half growled as she grabbed two fistfuls of her own hair, kicking her legs in the air as if to let out all the pent-up frustration, anger and deep sadness she felt building up within herself. Jennie was older and mature and kind why was she acting like this all of a sudden? It was so unlike her; she was the homebody that helped tame the party girl, she was the one who made Chaeyoung crave a homecooked meal and snuggles on the couch over loud music and overpriced drinks.

Up until now, Jennie had been older and mature and kind, and Chaeng loved her.

…she loved her.

Park Chaeyoung was in love with Kim Jennie.

And she knew that she’d already told Lisa and Suzy about her feelings, but it was only just right now, as she was sitting on Jennie’s couch, waiting for her supposed girlfriend to return her call, tears streaming down her face as she shivered despite the late summer heat that was washing over town, that she realized just how true those words were.

For the first time since, well, _her_ , Park Chaeyoung felt ready to tell someone she loved them romantically, and now she wasn’t even sure where said someone was.

“Just come home, Jennie, please.” She whispered quietly. She waited for hours, with no Jennie in sight, eventually falling asleep from exhaustion. When she woke up, it was the middle of the night, and she shifted into Jennie’s bedroom, deciding she was in no shape to drive herself home.

*******

When Jennie came home after work the next day, she instantly knew that Chaeyoung had been there and it made her heart twitch with pain as she sucked in a deep breath of air trying to stop herself from crying again.

_‘Call me._

_Please._

_-C’_

The note with Chaeyoung’s characteristic loopy handwriting was on her dining table and Jennie picked it up intending to crumble it and throw it away, but as soon as she touched it the knowledge that Chaeng had written it, that Chaeng had touched it, prevented her from doing so, instead placing it upside down on the table.

She should’ve made herself some dinner and read through some articles for work, but ever since yesterday she’d had zero appetite and even just the thought of eating made her sick to her stomach.

To make matters worse, tomorrow was Wednesday, which meant she’d have to teach another class. A class Park Chaeyoung was scheduled to attend.

She knew she was acting like a child; she knew she could have handled all of this _so_ much better, but the longer she waited the worse it was getting and how could face Chaeyoung now that she’d ignored her messages for over a day. But even with the distance she’d given herself she still wasn’t any closer to a solution. She felt trapped in a nightmare where all she wanted was to cry in Chaeng’s arms and have her tell her that everything would be okay and they’d work it out, but she couldn’t let herself do that.

It didn’t help when she entered her bedroom and saw the bed made up the way Chaeng always did it, the pillows and sheets smelling of her as Jennie collapsed onto them, face first.

She prided herself on being professional, but how could she when her _girlfriend_ would be there tomorrow? The very same girlfriend she’d been ignoring for 36 hours, the very same girlfriend that she had been with for almost three months and who she was going to say ‘I love you’ to.

Jennie Kim was professional, but she wasn’t heartless, and her heart was hurting, and her mind was foggy and academia that she’d loved for so long was barely just a distant memory now. Tomorrow Jisoo wouldn’t be there to help her, she’d have no one to lean on, she’d have to stand on her own two feet and talk about something that she was so incredibly passionate about, but that just didn’t seem to matter anymore.

Why should she care about peer reviewed articles or foreign direct investments? They didn’t love her, they wouldn’t hold her when she was feeling sad, or make her soup when she was sick, or laugh with her as she did silly things. They were abstract items that in the grand scheme of things meant nothing, even though Jennie had spent years of her life proving that it meant everything.

But as she stood there, in front of a classroom full of hopeful faces, she realized that the only thing that mattered was Park Chaeyoung.

And yet, Jennie couldn’t even look at her. She felt her eyes on her, her deep, brown eyes that felt so different on her body from everyone else’s, but Jennie looked everywhere but at her. If she was gonna have any chance of getting through these two hours, she’d have to pretend that Chaeyoung and Lisa weren’t there, no matter how much the hairs on the back of her neck stood up every time Chaeyoung looked at her.

“As we saw in Monday’s lecture, business is business, whether intra- or inter-national. However, IB exposes transactors to unique risks, so, ceteris paribus, business at home should be preferable to IB. Can someone tell me, in their own words, why that is?”

She watched as a few students raised their hands and guessed that she’d hear their voices frequently in class. It was always like that; a few students stood out as the ‘speakers’. It didn’t mean they were smarter or better than the rest, it simply meant they were more confident in themselves and their answers. Often times, Jennie didn’t like them. They were the ones who were more likely to complain if they didn’t get the grade _they_ thought they deserved, the ones who would act condescendingly, and who would most definitely be brown-nosers. She hoped she was wrong but looking at some of their faces brought her back to her own grad school days and the stuck-up bastards that were shocked when she and Jisoo were the top of the class, just because they didn’t speak up as much as those assholes did.

She nodded to someone to answer, spacing out a bit as instinct took over. She let out a sigh of relief when she noticed that it was 10:58 and she could finish the class. “That’s all we had time for today, thank you for some good and insightful conversations and opinions, think about what I said ref the first assignment and remember to attend Dr. Kim’s class tomorrow at 11.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Chaeyoung stand up, but they were separated by a small sea of other students. Grabbing the chance while she could, she quickly cleared her desk and hurried towards the door, trying to escape reality for the safety of her office.

“Dr. Kim?”

She’d recognize that voice anywhere, and right now it was the last voice she wanted to hear. The areas outside the classroom were filled with undergrad students, making it easier for Jennie to escape without Chaeyoung catching up, though she kept hearing her voice as she called out for her. “Dr. Kim!”

With quick steps, she moved towards the elevators, well aware that two tall brunettes were trying to reach her, and that she was a fucking coward for escaping with her tail between her legs and her head down. “Dr. Kim.”

Jennie was a motherfucking weakling. A wimp. A scaredy-cat. A fucking pussy. She was the professor, she was supposed to be better than this, and yet she ran away from her girlfriend like a scared little girl, while Chaeyoung remained respectful and used her official title so they’d stay professional in front of the other students and faculty. “Dr. Kim?” The voice was more pleading now, and closer, as she rounded the corner and saw the elevators in front of her, one of them open as a small group of students entered it.

Hurrying her steps, she entered the elevator and turned around to press the ‘close doors’ button, for the first time seeing Chaeyoung’s pain-stricken face as she got closer. She was almost within touching distance when the doors started closing, Chaeyoung stopping right in front of her as the last sliver remained opened on the double doors, too late for her to enter.

Two sets of sad, lifeless eyes met each other for a nano-second before the doors closed, but it was enough for Jennie to see the single tear escaping from her girlfriend’s eye, for her own heart to shatter into a million little sharp pieces that felt as though they were cutting her from within, and it was enough for her to regret everything and wish that she could stop the doors from closing and throw her arms around her girlfriend.

But she was too late, and the last thing she heard was a painful whisper.

“Jennie”


	10. elle t'aime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisoo decides to take matters into her own hands

“You are so stupid.”

“I know.”

“The most stupid Ph.D. holder in existence. My niece has made smarter decisions than you, and she’s not even one and a half yet.”

“I know, okay, I know! I’m an idiot, a stupid fucking moron who fucks up anything and everything.” Jisoo was slowly swiveling in her office chair while watching Jennie pace the length of their shared office. Their second Monday lecture had been a success, with the exception of Jennie effectively avoiding a certain young brunette and her best friend. It had been a week since their summer romance had come to an unexpectedly abrupt end and Jennie still hadn’t talked to her. She’d been meaning to after the elevator chase the week prior, but the determination and energy she felt as she wrote a text message had dwindled out and been replaced with fear when the moment to press send came.

She was a wuss. Plain and simple, a gigantic wuss, and now they were in a limbo where neither really knew what was happening or what they were anymore. Chaeyoung had given up. Jennie was still frantic. Were they even still girlfriends? Sure didn’t feel like it for either of them. But they’d had the most amazing summer together and they couldn’t just never have a proper ending and leave things like this. They’d have to see each other every week for the rest of the year, Jennie couldn’t just ignore this and act like a stubborn baby when she was supposed to be the adult AND the professor.

“Sooooo, what are you gonna do about it?”

“I still have no clue, so I guess I’m gonna ignore it for now.”

“Thank god I’m not your Ph.D. advisor.”

“Oh god,” collapsing into her chair, she put her face in her hands and groaned loudly. “I’m a fucking mess. Anyways, let me just have a little bit of time to figure this out, please?”

Jisoo folded her arms with a casual shrug, “Sure, it’s your thing, but I can talk to her if you want me to.”

“Yes! Wait, no! Or maybe… no, nonono, nooooo, but maaaaybe?”

“I’m so confused.”

“I-” letting out the biggest sigh, Jennie crashed her forehead against her desk, whimpering slightly as the pain shot through her head. “Ugh, who _am_ I?”

“Jennie Kim’s stupid identical twin.”

“Apparently Jennie got all the brain cells.”

“You two took twin to twin transfusion syndrome very seriously.”

“I’m glad you see the humor in my misery.”

“Aww, Nini, you know I’ve got your back and I love you. I know it’s Monday, but when the weekend comes try to relax and think things over and I’ll do the prep work for next week.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, I need you to get your head in the game and you’re not gonna be doing that any time soon if all you think about is this tall, gorgeous brunette who stares at you like a lost puppy.”

“God, she’s so gorgeous, isn’t she?”

“Mhm, sure is.”

“Fine, I’ll take a few days to think this over then I’ll make a decision and fix this.”

“That’s all I ask. Now let’s talk about our first assignment.”

*******

_Miss Park,_

_I would like to see you in my office on Wednesday at 9am._

_Kind Regards,_

_Dr. Kim Jisoo_

_\--_

_Dr. Kim,_

_Unfortunately, I have class on Wednesday at 9 with Dr. Kim Jennie. Would you like me to see you afterwards?_

_Kind Regards,_

_Park Chaeyoung_

_\--_

_Miss Park,_

_I am aware of that, I was hoping you could ask a friend, perhaps Miss Manoban, to take notes for you?_

_Kind Regards,_

_Dr. Kim_

_\--_

_Dr. Kim_

_I will ask Miss Manoban for help. I’ll see you on Wednesday at 9._

_Kind Regards,_

_Park Chaeyoung_

*******

Park Chaeyoung nervously picked at the skin on the side of her fingernail on her thumb, biting her lip in deep thought as she stood outside the office belonging to Dr. Kim Jisoo and Dr. Kim Jennie. She was ten minutes early, and fully prepared to flee down the corridor because at any moment now that door was likely to open and Jennie would come rushing out, heading towards the class Chaeyoung was supposed to be in.

And she really didn’t want to see her potentially-still-girlfriend like this, awkwardly running into each other in a hallway for half a second before Jennie would inevitably scurry off towards the elevators because that’s what she does. She ignores her problems until they go away. Well tough luck, because Chaeyoung wasn’t planning on going anywhere.

But she also knew that now wasn’t the time to ambush or approach Jennie. She had a class to teach and Chaeyoung had a meeting to attend; she didn’t want them to awkwardly stare at each other in an empty hallway and possibly make things worse. And she was nervous enough about this meeting without adding Jennie to the mixture. She had no idea what Jisoo wanted; they were halfway through their second week of the semester, and she hadn’t caused any trouble yet. So what could Jisoo want from her?

The sound of movement from the other side of the door threw her out of her reverie, causing her to scurry around the corner with her tail between her legs. Peaking around the corner, she saw her sort-of-girlfriend in the elevator as the doors closed, only then allowing herself to approach the dreaded office once again. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she lifted her left hand and knocked swiftly on the door three times.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Shaking her head to get her thoughts out, she opened the door and entered the office of the two Dr.Kims. One desk was filled with an organized mess she recognized from Jennie’s apartment, while the other was slightly less organized but with a smiling brunette seated behind it. “Hi, have a seat.” With a nod, she directed Chaeyoung to the uncomfortable looking guest chair in front of her. The student tentatively took a seat as she placed her bag on the floor in front of her, eyes roaming the desk for any sign of why she was there to begin with. “Uhm, Dr. Kim, may I ask why I’m here?”

“Call me Jisoo, I asked you to come for personal reasons. It’s nice to finally meet you properly.”

It took her by surprise. In front of her wasn’t Dr. Kim Jisoo, her professor. Oh no. In front of her was Jisoo, her girlfriend’s best friend. And right now, she wasn’t sure which was scarier. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” she hesitated before adding the last part, “Jisoo.”

“I was going to say ‘only good I hope’, but knowing Jennie we both know that’s not true.” She laughed to herself as she leaned back in her chair, taking in the beautiful girl in front of her. Jennie had done well. “I’ve heard a lot about you too. Pretty much never ending. All good, I promise. You have her wrapped around your little finger.”

Chaeyoung snorted as she looked down and plucked invisible lint off of herself. “Is that so?”

The reaction didn’t catch her off guard, but it still made her curious. She studied the girl in front of her, watched as her face twisted in a mix of pain and disgust at what she’d heard and her own words. “She’s quite fond of you.”

“Maybe you should tell her that?”

“Listen, Chaeyoung…” sighing, she ran a hand over her face as she thought about how much her best friend had fucked up. “I know what’s going on. I know that Jennie has been avoiding you, and I want you to know that I am on your side.”

“I mean, thanks? But what good does that do me?”

“Can I be honest with you?”

“By all means.”

Jisoo felt a slight level of hostility radiate off her best friend’s girlfriend, but it wasn’t directed at her. This was likely the first time Chaeyoung had been able to talk about the situation with anyone other than her two flatmates. Of course she was frustrated and angry. The person that she most likely loved had essentially ghosted her, while still playing a vital role in her everyday life. Park Chaeyoung had to see her every single week, she had to listen to her voice over and over but could never hear her say what she wanted her to say. What she so desperately needed to hear.

“Jennie loves you.”

Chaeyoung laughed. She couldn’t help herself; she didn’t have any control over it, but she laughed hard and she laughed loudly. She felt her eyes close and tears roll down her cheeks as Jisoo’s words echoed inside her brain. “She loves me? Jennie fucking loves me, huh? Thanks for the laugh.”

Jisoo let her laugh it out, watching curiously as her guest laughed, cried, and eventually sobbed into her hands as her body shook with grief, only then getting up and walking around the desk to cumbersomely place her arms around Chaeyoung. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Jisoo.”

“I’m not, she told me herself.”

“Well that means nothing with the way she’s behaving, now does it?”

“Jennie is… no reason to beat around the bush, Jennie’s an idiot. I love her, but she can be so thoughtless. I know that she’s not talking to you right now, and that you’ve reached out to her many times, but she does love you. She’s been talking about you non-stop this summer; you’ve made her so happy and she’s in love with you. I’ve tried to talk to her, she’s just really scared. But that’s not an excuse, and I’ll have another chat with her. Make her come around to her senses.”

“I just feel so disheartened, Jisoo. I love her too, and I was going to tell her on our third anniversary last Saturday, but instead I spent the day at home crying and hoping she’d call me back.” Her heart was twisting painfully as she thought about the week and a half since she’d last heard from Jennie.

“I’m really sorry about all of this, I’ve honestly never seen her like this before.”

“What am I supposed to do? I’ve tried everything, but she won’t even look at me anymore.”

“I’ll have a talk with her, I promise. She wants to talk to you too, she’s just a chicken that chickens out every time she comes close to actually doing it.”

“Jennie did mention you love chicken.”

“Chicken is the love of my life, no lie there. Anyways, she’s terrified because this is her dream job and she’s worked so hard for this, but she’s really fallen for you over the summer and I really wish I wasn’t the one to tell you this first, that should’ve been Jennie, but she loves you. And then all of a sudden, she found out that loving you could jeopardize her dream career and then she just freaked out instead of talking to you like an adult. I know this isn’t any easier for you than it is for her, and I’ll really talk to her and have her come around so you two can figure something out.”

“Thank you so much Jisoo. I really wish we’d met under different circumstances, but I appreciate you helping me.”

“I just couldn’t stand to sit back and watch as you both looked like lovesick, miserable versions of yourself.”

Chaeyoung chewed her lip slowly as she thought it over. Jennie had hurt her a lot, but she still loved her and if what Jisoo said was true, then maybe Jennie truly was hurting as badly as she herself was and maybe that’s why she hadn’t reached out yet. Everyone deals with things differently, and Chaeyoung had always been the more straightforward one. Sure, she was mad. But was it right of her to be mad just because someone handled a situation differently than she herself did? Probably not. So maybe it was best to give Jennie another shot and hope that they’d come to some sort of an agreement. She wouldn’t mind keeping it all hidden if it meant she got to keep Jennie.

Jesus, she really, really loved Jennie.

“Please talk to her for me?”

Grabbing Chaeyoung’s hand, Jisoo gave it a reassuring squeeze and a small comforting smile. “I’ll try to knock some sense into her.”

*******

“Chaeyoung wasn’t in class today.” Jennie collapsed into her chair with a pout, throwing her papers and bag on the desk.

“I know,” Jisoo replied casually while typing away on her computer, not sparing her best friend a second glance, “she was here with me.”

That caught Jennie by surprise as she froze before slowly turning towards Jisoo with a perplexed look on her face. “What? Did she schedule an appointment with you?”

“Nope, I asked her to come, I needed to talk to her and officially meet her.”

“Jisoo! What are you doing?!”

“I told you I would, didn’t I?”

Sighing, Jennie sank down in her chair in a dejected manner, knowing that she had no right to be mad at Jisoo. She was the one who had done something wrong, not Jisoo. “You did… what did she say?”

“She’s really upset and angry, but she didn’t really seem angry at you, if that makes any sense? I guess she’s mad at the situation, and she really wants to talk to you. Or no, wait. In the beginning she was definitely mad at you, but then I told her that you love her and she just sorta…deflated? She didn’t believe me and then she did, and she loves you too, she was gonna tell you on your 3-month anniversary.”

“You told her I love her? Jisoo, those weren’t your words to say!” Jennie was actually getting angry now; Jisoo had no right to tell Chaeyoung that. “What if I decide to break up with her? Do you really want to break her heart even more?”

“Oh…” Jisoo wasn’t stupid, but she hadn’t thought this entirely through and sure, revealing that Jennie loved her had helped calm Chaeng down, but what if it did more harm than good? “But you’re not gonna do that, right? Break up with her, I mean?”

“I don’t know Jisoo, I honestly don’t know anymore. You’d think all this time and distance would’ve afforded me the opportunity to think things over, but I’m still as clueless as I was that Monday.

“I sorta promised her you’d talk to her. Sorry about that.”

Sighing, Jennie put her face in her hands as she rested her elbows on her desk. Her life was a mess and the longer she postponed this the worse it was bound to get. “No, don’t apologize... You didn’t do anything wrong. Thank you for talking to her, you’re a good friend.”

Pouting, Jisoo finally left her own desk and walked over to drape her arms around Jennie, “Aww Jendeuk, don’t look so sad, it’ll be okay, and you’ll always have me.” Burrowing herself into Jisoo, Jennie finally let emotions overrun her as silent tears slid down her cheek. “So… are you gonna talk to her?” she felt the younger girl nod against her shoulder as relief finally filled Jisoo’s body. “I’m proud of you Jendeuk.”

*******

Jennie _really_ didn’t want to do this, but she knew she couldn’t hold off any longer. She owed it to Chaeyoung, and herself, and apparently also Jisoo now, to talk to her girlfriend and sort things out. Right now they were both fucking miserable, and the last thing she wanted was to hurt the girl she loved, even if she was just as broken herself.

But she couldn’t have heavy conversations on an empty stomach, so rather than going straight there after work, she went home to make herself some of her mom’s delicious kimchi fried rice; the ultimate comfort food for any occasion.

And while eating her favorite dish in the whole wide world, she thought things over. She thought about running into Chaeyoung for the first time, about their bathroom encounter and first dates. About all the nights spent together, the ways her heart would flutter when she’d wake up in Chaeyoung’s arms and find the younger girl still asleep or wake up to the smell of French toast and fresh berries.

Chaeyoung undoubtedly made her happy, and Jennie was in love with her, but if the university found out, she was screwed and she’d essentially have wasted eight years of grueling work, eight years of blood, sweat and tears. It would be one thing if Jennie wasn’t her professor, they could claim ignorance, but there was no way in hell they could squirrel their way out of this.

Sighing, she put the freshly washed bowl back on its shelf – another fruitless attempt to delay the inevitable. This was it, there was no turning back now, she thought as she made her way through familiar streets towards the house she’d become so acquainted with, even if they spent most of their time at her own place.

It was early autumn and their days had been long and warm, but this evening was cold and windy, and Jennie regretted not bringing a jacket. She couldn’t turn back now though; she’d never be able to go back out if she did. And she needed to do this. She needed to step up and face her fears, because they were no longer just hers. She’d been in this position before. She’d been where Chaeyoung was and it hurt so damn much, she hated herself for doing that to someone else. She was just as bad as the people in her own past. Chaeyoung had been so open about her own past, her own playgirl days, but she’d worked hard to change herself, and now Jennie was the one hurting her.

A chill ran through her and shook her to the bones, but this time it wasn’t caused by the wind.

The sky was dark and ominous when she stopped outside the familiar building. She wrapped her arms around herself as she slowly walked up the few steps to the front door and buzzer. She was just about to ring the doorbell labeled Park/Manoban/Bae when a woman with a dog came out, and she was able to enter the building. It was an older building with no elevator, so she took the stairs to the third floor slowly as the feeling of dread increased in the pits of her stomach.

Holding her breath, she raised her hand unhurriedly and knocked three times following a silent rhythm, her ears perching as she heard footsteps approaching until the door finally opened with a creak.

“Hi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm alive! I am so sorry it's taken me so long. I blame my girlfriend 100%, she's keeping me busy these days. I promise to try writing more often! 


End file.
